Following the Heart
by Jaudreylover24
Summary: Day 4 AU: Audrey goes with Paul to a rehab facility following him taking a bullet for Jack. Audrey is determined to stay throughout his recovery but what will this do to her relationship with Jack?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I hope you enjoy the story. It's been 5 years since I last wrote and published a story. I guess I just lost my muse. Anyway this story starts towards the end of Day 4. I've been toying with this idea that Audrey had told Paul she was going to accompany him to a rehab facility in Massachusetts after he had taken a bullet for Jack. Basically, this story is an AU where Paul doesn't die and Jack doesn't need to disappear. Audrey goes with Paul leaving her future with Jack up in the air. Please review!_

"Jack," Audrey called out when she saw him walking down the hallway. Jack stopped when he heard her voice and turned around. "Can I talk to you?"

She touched his arm gently and they darted into the empty conference room next to them. Jack made an audible sigh. He knew that she was angry with him and he could see in her eyes that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Audrey," Jack started, but she cut him off.

"Jack, I'm leaving."

"Good. You should get some rest. You deserve it." He didn't know whether she meant that she was leaving CTU or leaving Los Angeles but either way he was happy she wouldn't be here to witness anything else he might do to stop the terrorist attack today.

Jack continued, "Look, I know today has been hard for you. When it's all over, we can talk about it. Just please don't make any decisions about us yet."

Audrey started to tear up. "I'm leaving with Paul. He needs to go to a spinal rehab facility if he ever wants to walk again and I told him I'd go with him."

Jack looked to the floor then back up at her. "Oh."

They looked at each other in silence for a minute, not knowing what to say. Jack desperately wanted to beg her not to go. They could work things out once this day was over and everything could go back to normal. But, he knew it wasn't fair of him to ask her to stay, not when it was his fault that Paul may be paralyzed. Audrey broke the silence.

"It doesn't mean anything regarding you and me," she said. Jack stayed silent. He couldn't help but think this was the end for them and that she just wasn't ready to tell him yet. "When the terrorist threat is over will you call me? Please."

"Sure," Jack said, sadly.

Audrey kissed him softly on the cheek. "Please be careful."

Jack watched as she walked out the door. He wished he could erase today. Jack took a deep breath and pushed his emotions to the back of his mind. He was ready to get back to work.

* * *

Audrey sat down next to Paul on the plane as it prepared for take off. She felt bad that she hadn't been there to help the doctors get him into his seat.

"You told him?" Paul asked.

"Yes," Audrey answered.

"How'd he take it?"

"Let's talk about something else," Audrey said. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Paul about Jack. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty optimistic considering I will probably never walk again," Paul said.

"Don't say that," Audrey insisted.

"I'm just being realistic. You know, today has definitely changed my entire outlook on life. I mean if this happened to me yesterday, I'd be completely lost. Now, I realize that only one thing matters in my life."

Paul put his hand on top of Audrey's. Audrey did her best to give him a genuine smile and he seemed to buy it but inside she just wanted to cry. She let his hand stay on hers for a minute but then slowly pulled it away from him by pretending to need something from her purse. She picked up her phone out of her purse and saw she had three missed calls from her father. She knew that she wouldn't call him back for a while. He would have too many opinions about her current situation that she just wasn't ready to hear yet.

* * *

Audrey waited by Paul's bedside for the doctors to come in. They had done some tests immediately when they arrived, making her feel comforted by the fact they had chosen a good facility. The door opened and Audrey sat up straight.

"Alright," Dr. Easton, Paul's main doctor, started. "Your scans look promising. Right now, if we were to do nothing, you would be paralyzed from the waste down. However, we think that we can repair the damage to your spine with surgery which could allow you to walk again. The surgery is quite risky."

Audrey and Paul listened carefully as Dr. Easton explained the surgery and its risks. Audrey knew that the surgery would be risky but she desperately wanted him to try it.

"Now, if you choose not to do the surgery we are prepared to work with you on learning to live as a paraplegic. If you do choose to go forward with the surgery, you will have some intense rehab in front of you. There will be a lot of bad days no matter which option you choose and you need to have a good support system in place."

The doctor glanced in Audrey's direction when he said this. Audrey wasn't sure what to say. They hadn't been together in almost a year and she had asked him for a divorce less than 24 hours ago. What kind of support system could she really be?

"You don't have to worry about that, Doc," Paul said, grabbing Audrey's hand. Audrey smiled at both of them.

"Alright then, I'll let you two talk about this and you can let me know when you make a decision."

Dr. Easton left the room. Paul took the surgery consent forms that Dr. Easton had given him and put them on the table next to him.

"What are you thinking?" Audrey asked him.

"The surgery seems risky," he said.

"It also seems like it's the only option if you want to walk again," Audrey reminded him.

"True. But, I think I'd rather be alive and in a wheelchair than dead," Paul argued. Audrey could see Paul's eyes closing.

"Just think about it and get some rest," Audrey said. "I'm going to check into the hotel."

"Okay. I love you," Paul replied.

"I'll see you in a little while," Audrey answered, walking out of his room.

She got to the hotel and checked in. When she went into her room, she flopped onto the bed and started sobbing.

How had she gotten here? She had told Jack that she loved him and told Paul she wanted a divorce. She had seen Jack torture Paul. She saw Jack working so naturally in the field. He lied to her when he said that he was happier behind a desk. There was no way he would go back to their job after today and if he did he would just be miserable. Now, she was here with Paul. She cared about him and wanted to be there for him but it had been a long time since she was actually in love with him. She just didn't know how she could tell him that without ruining his current optimistic outlook on life.

The truth of the matter was that Paul had gotten hurt while saving Jack. Audrey felt eternally grateful to him and was proud that he had been willing to do that. But, he never would have done that if he didn't know that she loved Jack. He saved Jack but he did it for her. It was her fault and she would not leave him when he needed her most. She wondered how long this recovery would take though. If Paul was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, she would always feel like she had to stay.

Audrey was jolted out of her thoughts at the sound of her cell phone ringing. It was Jack. She wiped away her tears and tried to gather her composure.

"Hi," she answered.

"Hi," Jack said. One word was all it took for him to realize that she was crying. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied. "Is it over? Did you stop them?"

"Yeah, it's over." Jack wasn't sure what to say. "How is Paul doing?"

Jack could hear her crying. "Audrey, what's wrong? Did something happen to him?"

"No," she said quietly. "He's fine."

"Audrey, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Audrey told him. Jack had no way of knowing that Paul was going to take a bullet for him.

"You asked me to protect him and I failed you," Jack argued.

"You did protect him, Jack. He just also protected you." Jack didn't respond and they sat in silence for a minute.

Jack finally broke the silence. "I'm flying back to D.C. tonight."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Audrey asked.

"What do you mean?"

Audrey sighed, "Yesterday morning you said you were happy working a desk job. After seeing you in the field today - it's just hard to believe that you could go back."

"Audrey, I meant every word that I said yesterday. I said that I wanted to be able to have what we have and the only reason I went back in the field today was because I thought I was going to lose you."

"But what about after? You rescued us and still went back in after that."

"This country needed me," Jack replied. Audrey didn't respond. She loved how dedicated Jack was to the country and couldn't really argue with him on that point. Audrey's phone beeped in her ear telling her she had another call coming in.

"Jack, I'm getting a call from the rehab center. I have to go," Audrey told him.

"Okay," Jack said sadly. They both hung up the phone.

Jack stared at the contract in front of him. CTU had offered him his field job back. He desperately wanted to sign it. Today had been a reminder of how rewarding field work was. He liked feeling useful and there was the adrenaline rush. Unlike DOD, it was exciting. Working at DOD was much slower paced and involved long meetings full of argumentative people. However, his old job had also taken so much from him. Even today he had seen what working in the field would do to his relationship with Audrey. When weighing the pros and the cons of taking the job, Audrey outweighed all the other factors. After so many years he was finally in a meaningful relationship. He could picture himself spending the rest of his life with her, something he hadn't pictured with anyone since Teri died.

He folded up the contract and threw it in the trash. He took a shower and got dressed before heading to Kim's for lunch, as he had promised he'd come see her again before leaving L.A.

Kim hugged her dad as soon as he got to the door. "Thank God you're okay. How's Audrey?"

"She's fine," Jack said. Kim had obviously heard about Heller and Audrey's kidnapping on the news.

"So what happened?" Kim asked. They sat on the couch and Jack gave her a quick rundown of what he could tell her about the terrorist attacks and how he had been working for CTU to help out. Jack answered her questions as they made sandwiches for lunch.

"Where are Chase and Angela?" Jack asked.

"Chase is at work and Angela is at preschool," Kim answered. "Where's Audrey?"

"I'm not really sure," Jack answered. He realized she had never told him where she and Paul were going. He couldn't help but think that was on purpose.

"Well, I really liked her. Chase and Angela did too," Kim said, thinking back to two nights ago when they had met. When she heard that her dad was coming to LA on business she invited him to dinner for when he arrived. She had almost fallen out of her seat when he asked if he could bring a friend. He never said the word "girlfriend" but Kim knew full well what he meant. Jack hadn't introduced Kim to anyone since her mom died so she knew that his feelings for Audrey had to be really strong in order for him to take that step. When Jack didn't respond she knew that something was going on that he wasn't willing to talk about.

"So what now?" Kim asked. "I mean you're not thinking about going into field work again, right?"

"I was offered a position at CTU but I'm turning it down," Jack told her.

Kim breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I hate having to worry about you all the time. Even if it means you go back to the other side of the country."

They made small talk for the rest of lunch and then Jack went back to the hotel to pack his and Audrey's things. She obviously hadn't stopped back at the hotel before leaving so Jack made sure to gather all of her things to take back with him to DC.

* * *

"Sorry, I'm here," Audrey said, sitting down in the chair next to Paul's bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I just made a decision about the surgery."

"Already?" Audrey asked.

"I'm going to do it," Paul said.

Audrey smiled, "Really? I thought you didn't want it."

"I changed my mind," Paul insisted. "When I think about our future, I think of us taking walks down the beach and running after our children on the playground. I want that for us, Audrey."

"Paul," Audrey started, "you know I'm here for you through all of this. But, we were having serious issues before this happened. Those aren't just going away."

"I'm not a fool, Audrey. I know you weren't happy with our marriage but I am determined to be a better husband to you. I will move back home and limit business trips and prove to you that I'm 100% committed to you. Please, Audrey, I just want you to be open to the idea of us being together again. I will do the rest of the heavy lifting. You know, just not with my legs."

Audrey laughed for the first time in 24 hours. She thought about his proposition for a minute and agreed. She had already told him earlier that she would hold off on getting the divorce but she had said that mostly to get him off her back. This was different. She truly believed that he wanted this for more reasons than just to fix his ego. She figured it wouldn't be the worst thing to give him more time to prove himself.

Audrey tried to put Jack out of her mind as she talked with Paul. She wasn't sure how this was going to work. She told Paul she would be open to him but that didn't mean that she wanted to leave Jack. But, she felt like trying to save her marriage was the right thing to do.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N:_ _Sorry for wait! Please review!_

James Heller was surprised to see the light on in Jack's office when he arrived at work. He knocked and walked in.

"Mr. Secretary," Jack greeted. "Good morning."

"I'm surprised to see you here Jack." Heller admitted.

"Really? I'm always here this early," Jack said.

"I'm not talking about the time. I know about the job offer you got from CTU," Heller told him. "I guess I just assumed you weren't going to pass up an opportunity to protect the country."

"The work we do here is important too," Jack argued. Heller looked at him suspiciously. "Besides, I'm getting too old for that job."

"Well, I'm glad you chose to stay. I like having you here."

"Thank you, sir."

"Also, I'm going to need you to sift through some of Audrey's work until she gets back."

"Already on it," Jack ensured him. Heller went back to his office and decided to try calling his daughter again. Paul had called from Massachusetts when they arrived at the rehab facility to let him know they had made it safely. Audrey, on the other hand, was ignoring his calls. This time she answered.

"Hello?" Audrey answered.

"Hi sweetheart," Heller said. "You've been avoiding my calls."

"Sorry," Audrey said. "I'm just a little stressed out."

"You do seem to have put yourself in quite the predicament," Heller said. "How are you?"

"Well, Paul is going to have surgery tonight. It's pretty risky but if it works he will probably regain almost full function of his legs."

"I didn't ask about Paul. I asked about you. How are you handling all of this?"

Heller could hear her getting choked up. "It's just been really confusing."

"Well, tell me about it."

"I know I'm doing the right thing by being here with Paul for his recovery. But, I miss Jack - well the old Jack that is."

"Audrey, you need to remember that Jack hasn't changed. The Jack you fell in love with is the same Jack you saw the other day. You've just seen a side to him that was always there but one that he doesn't need here in DC. It's not a side of himself that he is proud of. It's just a necessity when working in that environment. But, he is giving up that lifestyle for you. He just turned down a field position at CTU to stay here and do paperwork all day."

"He was offered a job at CTU?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, and when telling me why he turned it down the best he could come up with was that he's too old to be working like that anymore. But, I know it was for you."

Audrey knew he was right but felt guilty that Jack would give up a job he really wanted just to be with her.

"On the other hand, I think you are making the right choice by going with Paul. He really needs you right now," Heller continued.

"I'm just not sure how to explain that to Jack. When I told him I was going with Paul he looked so hurt. The last thing I want is to hurt either of them."

"Just try to be honest with both of them and more importantly yourself." Heller advised.

* * *

Audrey went to the hospital to sit with Paul before his surgery.

"Where have you been?" Paul asked, as Audrey walked into his room. "I'm freaking out here."

"What's wrong?" Audrey asked. Paul reached out for her hand.

"Besides the fact that I could die?"

"You aren't going to die," Audrey insisted. Paul looked at her unconvinced. "What can I do to help you relax?"

"Kiss me?" he asked.

Audrey sat with a look of confusion. It had been over a year since they last kissed.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Audrey said.

"I'm your husband," Paul stated as if it made a difference. "Please, Audrey. It doesn't have to mean anything. But if I die and the last thing I remember about us is a kiss rather than the arguing that we have done then I can be happy about that."

Audrey gave in and leaned over for a chaste kiss on the lips. Paul's hands cupped her cheeks causing her mouth to open slightly which Paul took full advantage of by slipping his tongue into her mouth. Just as Audrey pulled away a doctor entered the room.

"Hello Mr. Raines," the doctor said. "We're going to get you prepped for surgery. Mrs. Raines, you can wait in the waiting room where we will find you to give you updates."

Audrey turned to Paul. "Good luck. You're going to be okay."

"I certainly hope so. That kiss will definitely motivate me to stay alive."

They moved Paul out of the room and Audrey went to the waiting room. Audrey's phone rang and she saw Jack's name appear on the screen. She had been dying to talk to him but now she felt guilty for kissing Paul. She certainly hadn't wanted Paul to kiss her in that way but she felt like she should have known that he would try for it. She declined Jack's call and texted him: _Can't talk now. Sorry._

The surgery seemed to take forever but eventually the doctors came out to tell Audrey that Paul had made it through what seemed to be a successful surgery. Audrey went up to the ICU to see him. When he finally woke up, he was groggy and went back to sleep almost immediately. Audrey took this as her cue to head back to the hotel to get some rest.

Audrey laid down on the bed and pulled out her phone to call Jack. It only rang once before he answered.

"Hey," he said. She smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Hey," Audrey replied. "Sorry, I couldn't talk before. I was waiting for Paul to get out of surgery."

"Did it go okay?" Jack asked.

"Yes, the doctors are hopeful that this fixed the problem."

"That's good news."

"Jack, I really miss you." Audrey admitted.

"I miss you too."

"I'm sorry I was mad at you. I know you were just doing what you had to do."

"No, I was doing what needed to be done but there were other people who could have done it." Jack said. "You were right. I had no business going back into the field once you and your father were safe."

"Jack, why didn't you tell me about the job offer from CTU?"

"Because I wasn't going to take it."

"I can't help but think that you didn't tell me because you really wanted to take it but were planning on turning it down anyway."

"How many times do I have to say that I don't want that kind of life anymore before you believe me?" Jack asked.

"I just don't want you to wake up ten years from now and wonder how you ended up in a job that you hate."

"I won't because I don't hate it," Jack insisted. "In ten years, I want to wake up next to you. That's all I want. I'm just worried you don't want the same."

"Jack, of course that's what I want. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because I'm here in DC and you are-"

"I know me being here is confusing. Paul just really needs me right now."

"What about his family? Can't they take care of him?"

"I am his family," Audrey replied. "He doesn't have anyone else."

"You asked him for a divorce a few days ago," Jack reminded her.

"And, then he asked me to wait a little longer and I agreed. He is still my husband and I still care about him."

Jack went silent for a moment. He didn't expect her not to care about Paul. But the way she said it made him realize that it was more than just caring about his well being. He could tell she still had feelings for him. "So, you're going to try to make it work?"

"I don't know yet. I really appreciate how patient you've been with me. You never try to pressure me into making decisions that I'm not ready to make. And, I'm not ready to make decisions about me and Paul yet. I'm sorry."

"Okay." Jack agreed, unenthusiastically. "I should get some sleep and you probably should too."

"Goodnight, Jack." Audrey said.

Jack hung up and resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. He just couldn't understand the grip that Paul had on her. Audrey had always told Jack that she was confident that leaving him was the right decision. Despite this, Jack had always kept it in the back of his mind that she could potentially change her mind and go back to him and that it was her right to do so. Now that it was possibly happening, Jack realized he had not prepared for it enough. He had let himself get too close to her and now he was too attached.

* * *

Audrey went to the hospital early the next morning and was there when Paul woke up.

"Hey there," Paul said as he woke up and noticed her sitting next to him.

"Hey," Audrey said. "Your surgery went great."

"It certainly doesn't feel great," Paul said grimacing as he tried to sit himself up.

"Do you want more pain meds?" Audrey asked.

"No, those things just knock me out," Paul insisted. "I can tough it out. I want to make sure I'm awake to talk with you."

"Okay," Audrey said, hoping to get his mind off the pain. "What do you want to talk about?"

"About what happened to us. We were so happy and then everything kind of went down hill."

"We just got too focused on work," Audrey admitted.

"Yes, but I've been thinking about why we started delving into work. It was when we couldn't get pregnant," Paul said. "You said it was fine and that maybe we just weren't meant to have a baby but I think you lied about how devastated you were. Then you started distracting yourself with work."

Audrey was getting sad thinking back to those years. It all started when she thought she was pregnant. She had gotten to excited over the idea of having a baby and buying cute baby clothes and toys. When she took a pregnancy test, she realized she wasn't pregnant. Then, she told Paul that she wanted a baby. They tried for 3 years with no luck until Audrey was just completely defeated and told Paul that she thought they should move on with their lives rather than suffer through more disappointment. But, Paul was right, Audrey didn't just move on with her life. She wanted a baby and chose to distract herself from that fact by any means necessary.

"Yes, I remember when I started staying late at work, Paul, but that wasn't until after you started doing the same. And, then it was biweekly business trips followed by weekly business trips until I basically never saw you."

"Well, being around you wasn't so pleasurable," Paul snapped, offended that she was calling him out for not being around.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you changed. I mean no more home cooked meals or parties with our friends. When we'd go out on dates you would barely try to look nice which was your way of saying that you didn't want to have sex."

"Yeah, God forbid I'm not your perfect little trophy wife. That's what you always wanted from me."

Paul reached for Audrey's hand and guided her to sit on the edge of his bed. "Audrey, I promise you, that is not what I wanted. All I wanted was to know that you still loved me even though I couldn't give you a baby. And, I just didn't believe that you did."

"I did." Audrey said. "I'm sorry if it didn't come across that way. I was just really sad."

Paul pulled her closer so she was laying down next to him in the tiny hospital bed. Audrey didn't fight it. She had always blamed Paul for almost everything involving their separation. But, now that he was opening up to her she thought that maybe she had been unfair. Maybe she was just as much at fault.

She felt sad about this realization and started crying. Knowing that their marriage had failed because of her made her feel like she owed it to Paul to keep trying.

* * *

It was a Friday night and Jack was happy to have a beer in his hand. He sat down next to his friends at their usual table at the bar. Truth be told it felt strange hanging out with them without Audrey. They were really her friends but she had inducted him into the group even before they started dating.

"Told you that you needed a beer and a night out," Olivia said. Olivia was Audrey's best friend. She was sitting next to her husband, Brian. Then there were Jess and Pete who Jack knew from work. Audrey was the middle man who had brought this group of friends together. It didn't feel the same without her.

They started talking about their weeks as they usually did at this time. Jack listened and laughed along with them as they shared their most ridiculous stories from the week.

"You're up, Jack," Jess said, telling him that it was his turn to tell about his week.

"I think I'll pass this week," Jack said, taking another sip of his beer.

"So, where has Audrey been? She's been out of work all week right?" Pete asked, looking at Jack for the answer.

"I'm going to get another beer," Jack said, leaving the table to go up to the bar.

Jess smacked Pete on the arm.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"She left him for Paul," Jess answered. "Just don't bring her up."

"She went back to that asshole?" Pete asked.

"Stop it," Olivia insisted. "She left to take care of Paul because he got shot and may not walk again. She did not leave Jack for him."

"That's okay, Liv," Jack said sitting down with his beer having overheard what she said. "She kind of did. You don't need to say that for my benefit."

"Jack, she is just trying to help him. As soon as he is better she will be right back here where she belongs. Right guys?" There was a simultaneous groan across the table.

"Guys!" Olivia pleaded. She was trying to make Jack feel better. She made pleading eyes to Brian for him to say something encouraging.

"Liv, I'm not going to lie," Brian said. "Listen, Jack, I've known Audrey and Paul for a long time and he's trouble. They have fought throughout their entire marriage. She likes to say that they used to not fight but that's a huge lie. She doesn't remember because he manipulates her into thinking that everything was fine. Every fight becomes her fault and she falls right back into his arms."

"That's incredibly comforting. Thanks," Jack said, sarcastically. "Also, that doesn't really sound like Audrey. I mean Audrey is pretty hard-headed. I can't really see her backing down on a fight and thinking everything is her fault."

"That's because you've only known her post-Paul," Brian said. "That's the real Audrey but she's not like that around him."

Everyone at the table was nodding their heads in agreement even Olivia who had come to Audrey's defense a few minutes ago. The tense mood at the table lightened up and they went back to laughing but Jack's head was stuck on Audrey. He thought back to when he first moved to DC. Audrey and Paul hadn't split up yet at that point. Audrey had changed since he first met her. It was subtle but she didn't have the same confidence back then that she has now. Jack wondered how accurate her friends were about Paul's manipulative nature. And if true, did Audrey even realize it?


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I am sorry and I have no excuses for how long it took to write the next chapter. Please don't hate me. Thanks amacma for your ideas and encouragement to keep writing the story._

Jack tapped his leg impatiently as he and Heller went through some last minute work on the plane on their way to Boston.

"Jack, how much coffee did you drink this morning?" Heller asked, noticing that Jack hadn't sat still the entire ride. Jack apologized and tried to relax. The truth was that he was both excited and nervous. He had gotten Olivia to tell him Audrey's hotel location and room number. He figured their work day would be over after their last meeting at 3. Then he would drive the two hours from Boston to Amherst to surprise her. He was excited to see her but nervous that she wouldn't want to see him or that she would tell him that it was too late and that she had chosen Paul. No matter what the outcome, he would rather find out in person rather than over the phone. He couldn't wait for the day to be over.

* * *

"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman in the world," Paul said as Audrey came into his room. Audrey smiled at the compliment.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better now that you're here."

Audrey smiled again. She remembered why it had been so easy for her to fall in love with him. He certainly could be charming when he wanted to be. "I guess you're in a good mood."

"I know we've been fighting a lot lately," Paul started. "But, it just feels like we are making progress. Do you feel that way too?"

Audrey shrugged. She did feel like they were making progress but she wasn't sure what they were making progress towards. Over the past weekend, they had many conversations about where their marriage went wrong. Paul tried to talk about the future but Audrey wasn't ready for that yet. She felt like they had all their issues out in the open but that they weren't actually resolving any of the issues.

"But, let's take a break from fighting," Paul suggested. He grabbed her hand and sat her on the edge of the bed. "Today is a good day."

"And why's that?" Audrey asked.

"Look," Paul said, looking down at his feet. He was moving his toes slightly. Audrey could tell that he was concentrating hard to make it happen but felt a wave of relief run over her.

"Oh my God!" Audrey exclaimed. "Paul, this is great! Did you tell the doctors?"

"Yes. They were already in here doing some tests this morning," Paul told her. He grabbed her hand. "Thank you again for being here. I seriously would not get through this without you."

Audrey smiled but then looked away from him. She felt guilty. She wasn't sure that she could ever be in love with him again. The day Paul was shot made her realize that there were some unresolved feelings that she had for him. She just wasn't sure if those feelings were due to the possibility of loving him again, due to how grateful she was for what he had done for Jack, or just due to the fact that she had loved him in the past and couldn't imagine losing someone she had known for so long. After their most recent talks, she was leaning toward the latter two options. They were both different people than they were when they met and fell in love. Audrey wasn't sure how she would tell him that she wasn't in love with him and likely never would be again. It would break his heart and he wouldn't have the attitude necessary for physical therapy. She decided that telling him would not be a smart way of handling it for the time being.

"What is it, Audrey?" Paul asked noticing that her demeanor had changed. "You're thinking about Jack. Aren't you?"

Audrey nodded.

"He'll get over it," Paul insisted. "You're my wife. What was he expecting?"

"Paul, I never said I was leaving him." Audrey said.

"I know I'm not much use in this bed but I can protect you from him if you're scared of his reaction."

"I'm not scared of Jack," Audrey said, confused by what Paul was saying.

"Seriously?" Paul asked. "The guy electrocuted me. I can only imagine what he'll do when you break up with him."

"Jack would never hurt me," Audrey insisted.

"Whatever you say," Paul said, sounding unconvinced. "Maybe he already found someone else anyway and won't be that mad."

A group of doctors walked in interrupting their conversation. The rest of the day they played cards and both of them avoided the conversation about Jack.

However, Audrey couldn't stop thinking about him. Audrey missed Jack a lot. Every night when she returned to her hotel she sat with her phone and thought about what she would say if she called him. But nothing ever sounded right. So she hadn't called in a few days. She wondered if Jack was waiting for her back in DC or if he had moved on, like Paul suggested. She knew Jack wasn't like that but just the thought made her jealous. She promised herself that she would call him tonight even if she wasn't sure what to say.

* * *

"You have plans tonight?" Heller asked Jack. Jack had been checking his watch religiously throughout the day. "You've seemed distracted."

"No, sir," Jack lied.

Heller rolled his eyes. "Jack, if you want to leave early to go visit my daughter just say so."

Jack smiled. He had almost forgotten that Heller knew about him and Audrey now. They had worked so hard to keep their relationship hidden and Jack still felt like it would be inappropriate for him to bring up their relationship to Secretary Heller. "I can wait until the end of the day."

"Just go now," Heller insisted. Jack thanked him and set out to see Audrey. But first he knew that he had to visit Paul and thank him again for saving his life. He drove to the hospital and found Paul's room. Jack knocked on the door frame.

"May I come in?" Jack asked, looking into the room he noticed Audrey wasn't there.

"As long as there aren't any bullets following you," Paul answered.

"I wanted to thank you again for saving my life," Jack said, sincerely. "How is your recovery going?"

"No progress," Paul said. "I'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."

"I'm sorry," Jack said. As much as he did not like Paul, he hated the fact that all of this was happening because of him.

"Audrey went back to her hotel room," Paul told him. "She's why you're really here."

Jack nodded, not really sure what else to say.

"And, you don't see anything wrong with screwing my wife while I'm lying in a hospital bed because of you?" Paul asked.

"Audrey can make her own decisions," Jack said, surprised by Paul's forwardness.

"So can you," Paul countered. "Let's face it, Jack. I am in this situation because of you. I need her. Audrey and I talk about our future together. We talk about having kids and growing old together. The only thing that makes her question it is you. You need to leave her and let us be happy together. I saved your life. You owe me that much."

Jack was taken aback. "I'm not breaking up with her."

"Then we have nothing else to talk about. Just think about it. I can make her happier than you can."

Jack walked angrily out of the room and got into his car. How could Paul ask him to do that? Jack knew that he owed Paul, but not by breaking up with Audrey. Audrey loved him. But, Paul had said that she also talked about a future with him.

Jack wondered if Paul had been making it up. Maybe she hadn't discussed the future with him. Paul mentioned kids in their future but Audrey had never mentioned wanting kids to Jack before. Of course, Jack knew that Audrey loved kids as she would take any opportunity to babysit Olivia and Brian's daughter. She was really great with kids too; she would make a fantastic mother.

"Damn it," Jack yelled in the car as he drove to Audrey's hotel. Of course she wanted kids. Jack realized that she hadn't mentioned it to him because early on in their relationship he had revealed that he wasn't interested in having anymore kids. He hadn't lied. When Teri told him she was pregnant before she died he was excited. But when Teri died, he decided that he was too old to raise a child again anyway. Paul could give Audrey the life she truly wanted. And, Audrey had been so torn between the two of them that it would save her a lot of trouble if he removed himself as an option. He also knew that he owed it to Paul. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Jack knocked on Audrey's door, dreading the conversation they were about to have. When the door opened, he immediately regretted trying to do this in person. Audrey was wearing a pair of pajama shorts and one of his t-shirts but Jack thought she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. He knew this was going to be impossible.

"Jack!" Audrey exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. She kissed him passionately but couldn't help but notice his lack of enthusiasm. She figured he was still upset that she had come to Massachusetts with Paul. "I'm so happy you're here. I really missed you."

Audrey pulled him into the room and they sat down together on the foot of the bed. Audrey decided that this was her chance to tell him that she loved him and only wanted to be with him. That she would help Paul recover and then go back home. That he shouldn't worry about her choosing Paul over him.

"Jack, I love you," Audrey said. "I'm so sorry for everything. I know we have so much to talk about but-"

"Audrey," Jack said, sadly. "I think that we should-"

Jack paused not being to get the words out. Audrey felt like her heart dropped into her stomach. She could tell that he was trying to break up with her. Audrey started to cry.

"Please don't cry," Jack begged, wiping away her tears.

"I don't understand," Audrey said. "I love you. Don't you love me?"

"I'm sorry," Jack said. "It's just not going to work."

"Last time we talked you said you wanted to wake up next to me everyday. And now you don't?"

"Last time we talked was days ago and ended with you saying that you were still considering being with Paul," Jack reminded her.

"And, now I know that I don't want to be with him. I want to be with you."

"You have no idea what you want," Jack argued. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to be a part of it anymore. This should make your decision a lot easier."

Jack watched as Audrey pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face. Jack couldn't bear to watch any longer or he would end up taking it all back. He kissed the top of her head.

"Bye," he whispered, before walking out the door. He rushed to the car and got inside. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, fighting back tears. He knew he made the right decision but he hated watching her cry, especially when it was because of him. Jack drove away quickly, knowing that if he stayed a moment longer he would change his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who's still reading. I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten. They definitely make me want to write faster. I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

Audrey woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing. It was Paul. She ignored the call and rolled over. The sun was gleaming into the window so she knew that it must be pretty late in the morning. But, she hadn't slept well. She cried for hours after Jack left and kept tossing and turning trying to figure out how to fix things. She hadn't fallen asleep until really late and had no motivation to get up. Her phone rang again and she ignored the call for a second time. When it rang again she figured it could be an emergency.

"Hi Paul," Audrey answered with no enthusiasm.

"Good morning, beautiful. I was starting to worry about you. You're usually here by eight but it's almost eleven."

"Sorry," Audrey said, throwing the covers off of her and rummaging through her clothes to find something to wear. "I'll be there soon."

Paul hung up the phone and was disappointed. He figured Audrey was late due to spending an eventful evening with Jack. He had been so sure that he could convince Jack to leave her. Now he prayed that Jack hadn't told Audrey about their conversation. He tried to think of how he would calm her down and tell her how it was a misunderstanding.

When Audrey walked into the room Paul realized he had been wrong. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He tried to contain his excitement. Jack had ended things.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked. "You look like you've been crying."

"I'm fine," Audrey said, trying to put on a happy face. "What do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking we could watch a movie," Paul said. "I'll even let you pick it out."

"You hate my movie choices. You say they're too sappy."

"They are. But, you do so much for me so I'm willing to watch whatever will make you happy," Paul answered.

Audrey smiled at him. But, the last thing she wanted to watch was a romantic movie after a break up. She put on an action movie that she knew Paul would enjoy. She wouldn't be paying attention anyway. Her thoughts were on Jack.

She didn't understand how he had gone from loving her to not caring about her at all over the course of a few days. She thought back to the beginning of their relationship. They had agreed that they would stay friends if things didn't work out in the future. Audrey was sure that they would be able to. It was also a necessity since they worked together. But now she felt heartbroken and unwanted. She didn't know how she would ever face him again. She couldn't help but think of how unfazed Jack seemed while breaking up with her. As if it were just business. Audrey felt embarrassed for caring so much when he clearly didn't. She knew that she had made mistakes but Jack had decided to leave her before even attempting to fix things. She was shocked that for once she saw a quality in Paul that she didn't in Jack. Paul at least tried to fix their marriage, even after finding out that she was in love with Jack.

She looked over at Paul who was focused on the movie. She reached out and grabbed his hand, silently thanking him for actually caring about her. Paul was surprised but smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Paul felt confident that she was going to come back to him.

* * *

Jack got home and started packing. Although Jack was basically living with Audrey, he had still kept his own apartment. Every time they would go on business trips, Heller would have his car pick up Jack and Audrey or drop them off when they got home. So he had kept the apartment for appearances. He was glad that he had now so that he didn't have to spend the night in his and Audrey's apartment. He grabbed what he would need for the next few days and then left the rest that he could come back for later.

Jack felt terrible. He wanted to call her to see if she was okay. But, the last thing he wanted to do was confuse her more than he already had. He drove to his apartment and unpacked. Jack went to the fridge hoping that he still had beer in it but, of course, it was empty. His cell phone rang and he jumped at the chance to answer it, hoping it was Audrey. It wasn't Audrey; it was Brian.

"Hey, are you coming?" Brian asked, referring to the fact that the whole group had plans to meet at the bar tonight.

"I would have thought your wife would have uninvited me by now," Jack admitted. Olivia was Audrey's best friend and she would not be happy that Jack broke up with her.

"Why's that?" Brian asked.

"You didn't hear about me and Audrey?"

"No. What happened?" Brian asked.

"We broke up."

"Shit," Brian said, clearly shocked by the news. "Sorry, man. Now get over here. You need a beer."

Jack agreed that he would go. He still wasn't sure why they would want him to go if he and Audrey weren't together anymore. But, he went to the bar and ordered a beer then headed towards their table. Jess stood up as Jack approached.

"Jack!" Jess said, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Jack could smell the alcohol on her. "It's okay. You are way too good for Audrey."

"Jess, let him go," Olivia said, which Jack appreciated. Jess let him go and they both sat down at the table.

"Are you going to tell us what happened? Or do we have to guess?" Pete asked. "My bet is that she went back to Paul, right?"

Everyone was staring at Jack, waiting for an answer. "She might. I don't know."

"So that's not why she broke up with you?" Brian asked.

"Actually, I broke up with her," Jack admitted. Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Why would you do that?" Olivia asked, getting angry. "Go call her and take it back."

"Liv, I'm sure he has his reasons," Brian argued.

"Well they are stupid reasons," Olivia said.

"You haven't even let him tell you what they are," Brian countered. "Jack?"

"She wanted to be with Paul. She just couldn't admit it," Jack said. Brian, Jess, and Pete seemed to accept his answer but Olivia looked like she was going to explode.

"Is that what she said?" Olivia asked.

"She didn't have to say it," Jack answered.

"So you broke up with her because you think she wants to be with Paul but you have no proof that she actually wants to be with him? Because I know her and I know she wants to be with you."

"Things are different now. Paul was shot and Audrey's feelings for him resurfaced."

"So you're just going to give up on her? You should be fighting to keep her! You giving up on her is exactly what will push her back to Paul," Olivia yelled, standing up. Her face was red with anger. "I need to go."

She got up from the table and left the bar. Everyone was quiet for a minute, trying to process everything that happened.

"Wow," Brian said, breaking the silence. "I haven't seen her that mad in a long time. For what it's worth, Jack, I think you showed Audrey that you were the right guy for her enough. If she still wasn't sure about her feelings for you versus her feelings for Paul then I think you made the right choice. Just don't tell Olivia I said that."

"Agreed," Pete said. "Like we said, Audrey and Paul always end up back together. Better to get out of that mess now."

"Yeah, she couldn't see what was right in front of her. She doesn't deserve you," Jess slurred.

"Thanks," Jack said. He still felt terrible but was grateful that his friends, except Olivia, had his back. He certainly hadn't expected it since they really were closer to Audrey. He had decided that telling them about his conversation with Paul was too risky. They were likely to tell Audrey which would essentially ruin everything. She would hate both him and Paul. The rest of the night the group avoided talking about her, which Jack appreciated since he really didn't want to think about her.

* * *

"Please, Paul, I could really help," Audrey pleaded.

"No way. You are not coming into the training room," Paul insisted. Paul's doctors had started him on an intense physical therapy session twice a day to build up the muscles in his legs again and eventually work on walking. Paul was able to feel his legs again and could move them, although it took significant focus and effort to do so. Audrey wanted to help however she could and wanted to go to the physical therapy sessions with him.

"Why not?"

"It's embarrassing. I don't want you to see me like that."

"Paul, I want to help. I'm not going to see you any differently."

"Look, Audrey, I really want to do it alone. Please," Paul begged.

"Okay," Audrey agreed. The past few days with Paul had been nice. She had talked to her father about working remotely from her laptop. She was avoiding thinking about Jack by staying busy. During the day she could keep her mind busy but at night, when she would return to the hotel, she would go crazy thinking about him. She was so distracted that she couldn't eat or sleep. She had spent one night in the hospital in the chair next to Paul's bedside to avoid having to be alone. She was also ignoring calls from her friends, especially Olivia, who she figured had found out about their break up and wanted to talk. Audrey did not want to talk about it.

Audrey found herself truly enjoying the time she was spending with Paul. It was feeling like old times. They hadn't been fighting and she found Paul to be extremely comforting over the past few days. He was complimenting her and was willing to do what she wanted to do each day. Of course, Audrey didn't realize that Paul was doing this since he knew that Jack had broken up with her. He knew she was particularly vulnerable right now and that arguing would just push her away. He wanted her to feel comforted and loved. It was the perfect time to win her back.

* * *

Jack was focused on his work and hadn't looked up from the piles of paper on his desk since he started the day. He liked that he was so busy. He didn't have to think about Audrey when he was busy. He finally looked up when there was a knock on his door. Jess was standing in the doorway.

"You didn't eat today, did you?" she asked. Jack looked at the clock. It was two o'clock and he hadn't even thought about lunch.

"I've been busy. I guess I forgot."

"Well, come on, we're going to lunch," Jess insisted. Jack followed her out expecting that the rest of their group would meet them. They stopped at a cafe that they occasionally got lunch at and Jess sat them at a table for two.

"Aren't the others coming?" Jack asked.

"No, Pete ate earlier today and Olivia and Brian are at some parent's day for their daughter's school."

"Oh," Jack said, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being here with only Jess. The two of them never spent time together unless it was in the group.

"Don't look so disappointed," Jess said, noticing that he seemed uncomfortable. "I'm just as fun as the rest of them."

Jack tried to relax and tell himself that there was nothing strange about Jess and him eating together without the others. Technically, they were friends and friends eat lunch together. They made small talk while they ate and started walking back to the office.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" Jess asked, casually as they walked.

"Probably just going to focus on work," Jack admitted. "What about you?"

"Well, there's this street festival this weekend that I was going to go to. You should come with me," Jess said, as they stopped for traffic.

"Um, Jess, that's not a great idea," Jack told her, feeling uncomfortable again. This time he could tell that she was specifically asking him out.

"Why not?"

"Well, we're friends and I think we should keep it that way."

"You and Audrey were friends before you started dating," Jess pointed out.

"Right. And it didn't turn out so good," Jack countered. "I'm not really looking to date right now."

"Because you're still hung up on Audrey?" Jess asked. She could tell by his face that he wasn't over the break up. "Jack, you broke up with her, remember? You need to move on. The best way is to find someone else."

"Jess, I'm sorry. I'm just not interested," Jack said. He couldn't believe that Jess was trying to date him. She was one of Audrey's best friends. "Besides isn't there some girl code. You can't date each other's exes."

"Well, Audrey broke girl code first because I liked you way before she ever did," Jess said, angrily. The light for the crosswalk changed. "Whatever, just keep pining over someone who doesn't want you."

Jess stormed off back to work and Jack let her get far ahead of him. He felt bad for turning her down but he could never date her. She was Audrey's friend and he still loved Audrey.

* * *

Days passed and Audrey was still doing everything in her power to not think of Jack. She worked remotely from her laptop and was being extra attentive in helping Paul. She had even gone shopping over the weekend to buy all new clothes as most of her things were in D.C. She had considered going back to get some clothes but decided that there was too much of a risk of seeing Jack. She did not want to see him. It would hurt too much.

Paul was enjoying the fact that Audrey was more focused on taking care of him. She would bring him food and was spending most of the day with him and even some nights she would sleep at the hospital.

Paul was doing a crossword puzzle while Audrey sat in the chair next to his bed working on her computer. A doctor came in telling them that Paul would be cleared to leave the hospital in a few days as his surgical wound was healing nicely. Paul still was not able to walk but as long as he had a wheelchair accessible place to live, he would be fine with Audrey's help. They would even have occupational therapists come throughout the day to help teach him how to get around and care for himself. The doctor left and Paul noticed that Audrey's face looked terrified.

"Audrey, this is great news. What's wrong?" Paul asked.

"What's wrong?" Audrey repeated as if it were obvious. "Paul, we don't live here."

"We'll get a place to live around here until I finish my physical therapy. It will be nice. It's like a fresh start for us."

The next day Audrey came in with a list of potential places for them to live around the hospital. Paul looked through them and noticed that they were all two bedroom houses and apartments all of which were handicap accessible.

"What do you think?" Audrey asked.

"Well, I'm happy that you've chosen places with a room for our future kids," Paul said.

"What?" Audrey asked, completely taken aback. She realized that he thought the second bedroom was an extra room. "Paul, the two rooms are for us."

"That's a bit unnecessary," Paul responded.

"I know we've been spending a lot of time together. But, I just don't feel ready to share a room with you yet."

Paul wanted to yell but he held back. She was his wife. How could she not want to sleep in the same bed as him? He forced himself to relax. It was only temporary.

"Okay. Whatever you want," he insisted.

* * *

Audrey and Paul had gone through the house-buying process quickly and now owned a house close to the hospital. Paul had been released a week ago and was having difficulty adjusting to moving around in a wheelchair. He was frustrated by the fact that Audrey had to help him do everything. He felt completely helpless and felt like Audrey was more of his nurse than his wife. His physical therapy was going well but he still had a long way to go.

It was a Saturday night and Paul wanted to have a romantic night with Audrey. He had asked Audrey to run out to the store to get him something so he could have time to prepare a surprise for her. Paul had called a local Italian restaurant and had them deliver food and a bottle of wine to their house. He also had a dozen roses delivered which he put on the table with the food. Audrey came home and saw what he had prepared and was surprised. He had clearly put a lot of effort into it.

"What is all this?" Audrey asked.

"Well, you've been doing so much for me, I just wanted to return the favor," Paul said as he transferred from his wheelchair to the chair at the table. "I could use help getting glasses down for the wine."

Audrey grabbed the glasses from the cabinet and sat down next to him at the table. She wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that this was clearly a date. Part of her was happy because she loved the effort Paul was putting in. But, she was also scared that Paul would end up hurting her as he usually did. She also felt sad that she wasn't with Jack. She had only heard from Jack once since they broke up. He had emailed her to ask her for her insights on a proposal for work. His email was straight to the point and emotionless which made Audrey feel even worse. She decided that she needed to enjoy tonight and start putting Jack behind her.

"Thank you for this," she said, sincerely. She poured herself a glass of wine and was about to pour one for Paul. "Aren't you not suppose to have alcohol with the meds you're on?"

"Oh, right," Paul said. "Well, all the more for you."

"The food looks great. Which can only mean that you didn't make it," Audrey teased.

"I wouldn't subject you to that kind of torture," Paul joked. They dug into their dinners and talked lightheartedly. It almost felt like a first date in that they were learning about each other all over again as they had become different people over the years.

"I really love this house," Paul said. "I know it's pretty empty but it is nice. If you want we could hire movers to move some furniture and decorations from our old house to here."

"Seems a bit unnecessary considering this is just temporary," Audrey said, pouring herself a third glass of wine.

"You still want to go back to D.C.?" Paul asked.

"Of course," Audrey said. "I work there and my father is there. I love living in D.C."

"Fair enough," Paul responded. "When do you want to go back?"

"As soon as you can walk," Audrey said.

"Right," Paul agreed. They were both finished with their dinners. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was great," Audrey said. "Thank you so much."

"Now, I also got us some cannolis for dessert. I figured we could eat them while watching a movie," Paul said. They made their way to the couch in the living room with the cannolis and the wine. Paul found a romantic movie that Audrey would be interested in on TV.

Half way through the movie, Audrey poured herself another glass of wine. She hadn't had a drink in a while and was feeling the effects of the alcohol. She had been nervous when she first saw the date Paul had put together for her but now she felt relaxed for the first time since before she and her father had been kidnapped. It felt great. She felt Paul put his arm around her shoulders and slowly felt herself nestling into him. It felt good to have him there. She felt comfortable.

"I hope you're having a good night," Paul whispered into her ear. She turned her face towards him putting their faces only a few inches away from each other. She nodded. Paul closed the gap between them and kissed her gently. Audrey kissed him back and Paul deepened the kiss. Audrey wasn't entirely sure that this was a good idea but it felt so good being connected to someone that she didn't bother to stop it. Paul's hands moved to Audrey's waist guiding her into a position where she was straddling his lap. As Paul's lips moved down from her lips to her neck and his hands traveled from her hips to the skin just underneath her shirt, Audrey pushed away and moved off of him.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, surprised by her sudden decision to stop.

"Sorry," Audrey said, feeling out of breath but also light-headed. "I just think it would be a mistake to move too quickly."

"Audrey, we're married. How slow do we need to go? It's not like we've never had sex before."

"I know. But, it has been a while. I'm just not sure I trust you," Audrey told him.

"Trust me with what?" Paul asked.

"I need to trust that you're not going to hurt me. You have let me down so many times. I just don't want to fall in love with you again for you to break my heart," Audrey admitted.

"Audrey, I've changed. I'm determined to be a better husband. How can I prove that to you?" Paul asked.

"It's just going to take time," Audrey said. "I'm sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! Keep it coming. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Things have to get complicated before they get better, right?_

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Jack asked, walking into Heller's office.

"Yes," Heller said, indicating to Jack that he should sit. "I appreciate how hard you've been working lately, Jack."

"It's no problem," Jack replied.

"Well, I happened to be working late yesterday and realized that you were working even later. You also start earlier than anyone else."

"Is that a problem?" Jack asked.

"Yes. You need to have a life outside of this office. So, I've decided to hire a consultant temporarily until Audrey comes back. I don't want you working past six o'clock at the absolute latest. Understand?"

Jack considered arguing but knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. "Yes, sir."

"Her name is Cassandra Cavanaugh. She's from Homeland Security. She will be here soon. Make sure to show her around and catch her up to speed on your work."

Jack agreed and left Heller's office. He hated the idea of having to work with someone. He and Audrey had happened to work well together but he doubted that he would be that lucky again. He also hated that he would be done with his work sooner and have to go home where all he could think about was what Audrey was doing. Once Jack got to his office, the front desk called to tell him that his new co-worker was there. Jack walked down the hall, ready to pretend to be happy to see this woman.

As he approached the front desk, he saw Cassandra talking to the secretary. Jack couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She was tall and thin with long straight brown hair.

"Hi," Jack greeted. "You must be Cassandra. I'm Jack Bauer."

"Nice to meet you, Jack," Cassandra said, shaking his hand.

"Let me show you around," Jack said, releasing her hand and turning back the way he had came. Cassandra smiled. She was here to work but when she saw the man coming down the hallway to greet her she just couldn't help but be attracted to him. She obviously didn't know him that well but she would be getting to know him pretty well during her time there since they'd be working together every day.

Jack showed her around, trying to ignore the fact that he found her to be a lot like Audrey. Beautiful, funny, professional. As they started to get down to business, he realized that they even worked well together, similar to how he and Audrey used to. He thought maybe working with someone new wasn't a terrible idea.

* * *

Over the course of the week, Jack and Cassandra spent a lot of time working together. Jack liked having her around to talk to. She was very talkative which he didn't mind since he wasn't particularly interested in sharing details about his life with her. Jack enjoyed listening to her talk about her life though since it gave him a chance to not think about work or Audrey.

It was a Friday night at six-thirty and Jack and Cassandra were still working. Heller knocked on Jack's office door causing both of them to look up from their work.

"Jack, I specifically told you not to stay here past six," Heller said. "I can't think of anything you're working on that can't wait until Monday. Both of you need to go home."

Heller walked out not waiting to hear their excuses or arguments. Jack sighed.

"Most bosses would appreciate the extra effort," Cassandra laughed. "Why doesn't he want you to stay so late?"

"He thinks I don't have a life," Jack said, closing the file in front of him and organizing his desk so that everything would be ready to go on Monday.

"Well, do you?" Cassandra asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied.

"Really? What do you do when you leave work? Do you have a girlfriend? Kids? A dog?"

"I have a daughter."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty-two."

"She lives with you?"

"No, she lives in LA."

"Well then maybe Secretary Heller is right," Cassandra said, smiling at him.

"What do you do that constitutes having a life?" Jack asked.

"I never claimed to have one," Cassandra joked. "Mostly I just work."

"Same," Jack said. Cassandra was still sitting with her work in front of her as Jack finished up.

"Are you actually leaving?" Cassandra asked.

"Secretary Heller told us to," Jack reminded her.

"Interesting," Cassandra commented. "From what I've heard about you it doesn't seem like you really listen to orders."

Of course Cassandra had done research on him. Jack expected nothing less since he had also tried to learn more about her when he found out that he would be working with her.

"Those were life and death situations. This is different," Jack told her. "And, I respect him."

"Fair enough," she said, grabbing her coat. They walked out together to the elevator.

"So, how do you like it here so far?" Jack asked.

"I like it," she said. "I almost don't want Audrey to come back."

Jack remained silent.

"Sorry. It was a joke because I really like working here. But, you're probably friends with her and want her to come back," Cassandra rambled, noticing how Jack seemed to be affected by her mentioning Audrey. Jack smiled at her but still stayed silent. He wanted Audrey to come back because he missed her more than anything. But, he also wasn't sure he could bear working next to her every day.

Cassandra continued. "So, what's she like? Why'd she leave? When is she coming back?"

"Her husband was injured and they're getting him help. I don't know when she'll be back. She may not even come back," Jack replied, trying to be unemotional as he spoke.

"You two were friends?"

"Yeah," Jack answered.

"Let me guess. She was your only friend here so now that she's gone you have no life which is why Secretary Heller is making you leave early," Cassandra said, as they exited the elevator into the parking garage.

"I have other friends," Jack replied.

"Okay, whatever you say," Cassandra said. She stopped since their cars were now in opposite directions. "Anyway, I also don't have many friends in the area so if you're looking for one, I'm in. Goodnight, Jack."

* * *

"How was physical therapy?" Audrey asked Paul as they ate lunch.

"I'm still having a lot of trouble," Paul said.

"I thought you said that you were going to be up walking soon," Audrey said.

"Yeah, the doctors say that but they just keep pushing it back."

"Are you going to be okay here alone?" Audrey asked. Her father had called her and asked if she could attend an event in New York City tonight and she agreed.

"Yes, of course," Paul ensured her. "And, I have lots of doctors I can call if I need anything."

"I should finish getting ready and packing," Audrey said, heading into her room. She put on a long navy blue dress and checked herself in the mirror. Tonight would be the first night she'd see Jack since their breakup. She was nervous about it but knew that eventually it would have to happen.

"Your car is here," Paul yelled to her from the other room. Heller had insisted on having one of his cars pick her up. Audrey came out of her room, putting on her heels.

"Okay, just call me if you need anything. I'll be back tomorrow morning," Audrey said. She gave Paul a quick kiss and left. Audrey got into the car and was surprised to see her dad in the seat next to her.

"Dad! What are you doing here?" She asked, giving him a hug.

"Well, I missed you and figured we could at least spend some time together during the car ride," Heller said.

"I missed you too."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine," Audrey shrugged. Heller looked at her skeptically. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"You bought a house with Paul. You must be working things out." Heller stated.

"To be honest, I have no clue what I'm doing," Audrey said. "Being around Paul has been nice but something's just not right."

"I'm guessing that something has to do with Jack?"

Audrey shrugged. "Jack doesn't want me and Paul does. I can be happy with him again. Right?"

"You could. So long as you're able to let go of your feelings for Jack."

Audrey sighed. That was easier said than done. Especially since she would have to see him every day once she moved back to D.C. Audrey changed the subject to work and had Heller fill her in on everything they were working on. He also told her about bringing in Cassandra to help out while Audrey is away.

They arrived slightly late to the party and as they were pulling up Heller received a phone call. He told Audrey to head in without him and that he would be in soon. Audrey decided that it would be best to find Jack and talk to him early so that she could stop feeling so worried about it. She wasn't really sure what she'd say but she hoped that the right words would come to her in the moment.

She saw him almost immediately despite the crowded room. He was at the bar ordering a drink. Just as she was approaching him, Jack turned around, carrying two drinks. Jack was surprised to see her.

"Audrey," he started, not knowing what to say. "What are you doing here?"

Jack immediately felt bad about his question. He realized that it came off as though he didn't want her to be there. He watched as Audrey turned red. Her eyes dropped from his and were trying to find a place to land. She was unnecessarily fixing her hair. Jack recognized that she was trying not to cry.

"I didn't mean it like that," Jack told her. "I just didn't know you were coming."

"Right," Audrey said, trying to regain some confidence. Audrey tried to figure out what to say. She didn't want to talk about their relationship in a room full of people. But, she knew that this was her chance to make sure that they could continue to work together effectively. Audrey cleared her throat. She indicated to the two drinks he was holding. "Rough day?"

Jack laughed, nervously. "Well, they aren't both for me."

As Audrey was about to ask who it was for, Cassandra approached them.

"You are so slow, Bauer," Cassandra teased, taking one of the drinks from Jack. Audrey immediately looked into Jack's eyes. She was hoping she wouldn't see anything in them. That the two of them were just friends. But, instead she saw guilt. Audrey's heart stood still for a moment. He was with this woman.

"You're Audrey Raines, right?" Cassandra asked, shaking her hand. "I'm Cassandra Cavanaugh. I've been working at DOD while you've been away."

Audrey put on her work face. "It's so nice to meet you."

"I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"Yeah, um, I should probably start talking with people," Audrey said. "It was nice meeting you."

Audrey walked away quickly and headed for the bathroom. She let a few tears fall at the thought of Jack being with someone else. Then she wiped them away and headed back out to the party and started talking with people. She was also attempting to stay away from Jack and Cassandra who were still talking.

* * *

After Audrey walked away, Cassandra took a sip of her drink and turned her attention towards Jack.

"That felt weird. She did not like me," Cassandra said.

"I'm sure she did. She just seemed focused on work," Jack lied.

"She probably thinks I'm stealing from her," Cassandra corrected him.

"What?" Jack asked. He could tell that Audrey had thought they were together. He wasn't going to correct her. She needed to move on.

"Because I'm doing her job while she's gone."

"Oh," Jack said.

"I should talk to her again. Let her know that I'm leaving as soon as she's back."

"No," Jack said, not wanting Audrey to have to talk to Cassandra. "Trust me. You should just leave her alone."

Cassandra agreed and they moved on to conversations with important people at the party. Jack was only half listening to the conversations. He couldn't help but look around for Audrey every chance he got. She looked absolutely stunning. He wanted to tell her that so he could see her smile again. She was smiling while talking to people but he knew the difference between her working smile and her real smile. He hadn't seen her give a real smile in a long time and he missed it. He saw her walking over to Pete. She hugged him and looked happy to see him. The hug wasn't long but he wished that he was the one embracing her.

* * *

"Hey! Long time no see," Pete said, hugging Audrey. "How are things going?"

"Stressful," Audrey said, happy that she was talking to a friend so that she could stop pretending to be happy for a moment. "How are you?"

"My life is just as exciting as the last time you saw me," Pete said sarcastically. He saw Audrey looking over at Jack. "Let's talk outside."

Pete took her outside to a bench. There were people out there but less than inside since it was a chilly night.

"Want to tell me what's been going on?" Pete asked.

"That depends. Is Jess here tonight?" Audrey asked. She wanted to talk but she was closer to Jess than Pete.

Pete laughed. "No. And, I don't think she'd want to talk to you anyway."

"Why not?"

"Why don't you talk first. Then I'll fill you in on what's going on here."

Audrey started telling him about everything that had happened. She told him about how Jack broke up with her and how she was slowly fixing things with Paul.

"How was it seeing him again today?" Pete asked.

Audrey started to cry. She had been holding it in. "Is he dating her?"

"Who? Cassandra?" Pete asked. "No. Not that he's mentioned. But, I think he likes her. She definitely likes him."

"Great," Audrey said, sarcastically.

"Well, didn't you say that you're with Paul now?"

Audrey shrugged. "I guess so."

Audrey sighed. Pete didn't need to say that it isn't fair for her to be mad about Jack being with someone else when she was with Paul. But, she couldn't bring herself to tell Pete that she felt like Paul was just a safe option. That she knew he would stick around and that she could be decently happy with him. It was easier than finding someone new and risking getting hurt again.

"So, how's everyone else?" Audrey asked. "Is Jess mad at me or something?"

"Well, our friend group has mostly disintegrated. Olivia hates Jack for breaking up with you and Jess hates Jack and you. Mostly just me, Jack, and Brian hang out."

"But, why does Jess suddenly hate us?"

Pete sighed. "Apparently, she tricked Jack into going on a lunch date with her and then asked him on a real date. To which he said no. She hates you because she thinks it's your fault that Jack can't move on."

"Well, apparently he can," Audrey said, referring to Cassandra. "Sorry, Pete."

"What for?" Pete asked.

"Oh please," Audrey said. "I know you love Jess."

"I do not," Pete insisted. "I go on dates with other people all the time."

"You're not fooling anyone," Audrey told him.

"Whatever," Pete said, defensively. "You're not fooling anyone by going back with Paul. We all know you love Jack and Paul is just the safe option. He has made you miserable for years but you're just going to overlook that."

"Wow," Audrey said, feeling hurt. "Thanks for the support."

"Sorry," Pete said. "But, as your friend, I think you're making a mistake by going back to him."

Audrey wasn't sure how to respond. She knew he was right that she loved Jack and would be happier with him. But, Paul was showing her that he wanted to make things better between them for their future. He was changing. She was sure of it.

She completed her rounds of mingling inside and managed to stay away from Jack. The room was clearing out and Audrey saw Jack across the room talking and laughing with Cassandra. Audrey couldn't stand being in the same room as them. She walked out and asked the driver to take her home rather than staying the night at the hotel she had booked.

She spent the car ride crying over Jack. She couldn't believe he liked Cassandra already. She decided that she had to get over him. He didn't want her and she would have to be okay with that. It was extremely late as the car approached her house. She wiped away her tears. Audrey walked into the house and saw that the light in Paul's room was still on. She knocked softly and went in.

"Hey," she said, seeing Paul sitting up in bed reading a book.

"Hey. I'm happy it's you. I was worried someone was breaking in. I can't do too much to defend myself," Paul said. "What are you doing back? I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow morning."

"I just missed you and wanted to come home tonight," Audrey told him.

"I missed you too," Paul said. "You look amazing by the way."

"Thank you," Audrey said, pulling her heels off. She walked over to Paul's bed and sat next to him on it. "What are you reading?"

Paul explained the plot of his book to her. Really, he was wondering why she was sitting in his bed with him. She rarely went into his room. As he told her more about the book he noticed that she was making herself comfortable.

"Tired?" Paul asked.

"Not really," she said, leaning over and kissing him. Paul was surprised but deepened the kiss. He decided to let her decide how far to take this. He didn't want to come on too strong again and risk her being angry with him.

Paul was happy as Audrey climbed on top of him, taking charge. She pulled his clothes off quickly. Paul's hands reached for the bottom of her dress and traveled up her thighs and took off the underwear she was wearing beneath her dress. Paul bunched up the material of Audrey's dress around her hips as Audrey lowered herself onto him. It didn't take Paul very long to finish. Once he did, he eased Audrey off of him and to the side. Paul was completely blown away by Audrey. She had done everything just the way he liked it. Quick. He had always hated how she wanted to draw it out with foreplay. This time it was perfect. He wasn't sure what he had done to convince her to have sex with him but he was happy she had finally caved.

Audrey immediately thought of Jack. Jack had always made sure that Audrey was satisfied during sex. She had forgotten that Paul never cared. She just wanted to be over Jack and thought this would help. She hoped sleeping with Paul would bring them closer together and put Jack into the back of her mind. But now Jack was the only thing she was thinking about. She knew she had to let go. She was going to put all of her efforts into making things work with Paul.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thanks to everyone still reading and especially to everyone who reviews! It's time to get Jack and Audrey back in the same place._

The next two weeks were productive for Paul. He was making great improvement with walking. For the most part, he did not need his wheelchair anymore. Paul was excited to be back on his feet and even more excited that things were returning to normal for him and Audrey. However, Audrey felt only mildly content with their relationship. She felt like they were falling back into old habits. She was bored. They had nothing interesting to talk about and silences felt unbearable. But, she also felt reliant on their relationship. As if he was the last man who could ever love her. As if she were lucky to have him.

"I've been thinking," Audrey said, breaking the silence between them while they sat on the couch. "We said that once you could walk again that we'd go back to D.C. I think it's time."

"Audrey," Paul started. "It's not like I'm running marathons here. Let's give it more time."

"I just think that you could do the rest of your physical therapy there instead."

"We just bought a house here." Audrey could tell Paul was getting annoyed.

"We can sell it," Audrey said. "I mean eventually we are going back. That was always the plan."

"Well, I really have come to like this place," Paul countered. "There's nothing in D.C. for us."

"Except my job," Audrey corrected. "My dad. My friends."

"Your boyfriend?" Paul asked, raising his voice.

"Don't do that," Audrey said, getting angry. "This has nothing to do with Jack. That has been over for a while."

"And, I'd like to keep it that way."

"And what? You think I'd cheat on you?" Audrey asked.

"Didn't you already?"

"No!" Audrey exclaimed, surprised by the accusation. "Why would you say that?"

"When did he start at DOD?" Paul asked. Paul answered his own question before Audrey could. "A couple weeks or so before you told me you wanted a separation. I like to believe you didn't start sleeping with him until after that but I'm not an idiot."

"I would never do that! We were separated for months before anything happened between the two of us."

"I never agreed to dating other people," Paul told her.

"That's part of a separation. You can be with other people. I even remember talking about it when I left."

"Yeah, you talked about it! Not me," Paul yelled.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "As if you weren't with someone else while we were separated. Can you seriously tell me you weren't?"

"Maybe I was. But, I didn't fall in love with any of them!"

"You definitely can't be mad at me for being with someone when we were separated if you were with people too."

"Look," Paul said, calming down. "I'm not mad. But, we aren't going back to D.C. where you get to see him every day without supervision. How would I know that you aren't sleeping with him again?"

"You would have to trust me," Audrey said.

"Well, I don't," Paul said, firmly. "We are staying here."

Paul walked out of the living room and into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Audrey sighed. She missed D.C. She missed her dad and her friends and her job. She missed Jack too but wouldn't admit it to herself. With Paul's jealousy she wondered if she would ever get to go home. She decided she would ask again tomorrow. If he didn't want to go, she would go by herself. She lay down on the couch and started to fall asleep until she felt Paul waking her up.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up from the couch. "It's time for bed."

"Okay," Audrey said, pulling her arm away from Paul's forceful grip. "I'm coming."

Audrey followed Paul into the bedroom and lay down. She was exhausted but Paul kissed her neck while his hands rubbed her body.

"Paul, I'm tired," she told him, knowing what his intentions were. Paul continued to kiss down her neck.

"That's okay. I'll do all the work," he said between kisses. "Okay?"

Audrey relented, not wanting to argue with him, "Fine."

* * *

In the morning, Audrey woke to the smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen. She found Paul in the kitchen making pancakes.

"Good morning, love," he said, as she entered the kitchen.

"Morning," Audrey said, yawning. Paul handed her a cup of coffee. Audrey questioningly looked around, wondering why Paul was making breakfast. He usually took no interest in cooking for her. "What's with breakfast?"

"Well, I've heard it's the most important meal of the day," he said. "I thought you deserve it."

"Why?" Audrey asked, wondering what she did right lately.

"Because you're my wife. And, I love you," Paul said. "Isn't that a good enough reason?"

Audrey shrugged and accepted his answer. They started eating and Audrey decided that she should bring up D.C. again before the idea of moving back got completely swept under the rug.

"Paul, I really think we should move back to D.C.," she said.

"Audrey, I just made you breakfast. Let's not fight," Paul said.

"I don't want to fight either. But, I need to go home. I want to leave today."

"And, I already told you that we aren't doing that," Paul reminded her.

"Look, you don't have to come if you don't want to. If you think you need more time here then fine. But, I'm leaving today once I pack up my things."

"No," Paul told her. "I won't let you ruin our marriage again."

"Then, come with me," Audrey said. She couldn't understand him. He didn't want to lose her but he wouldn't move back with her.

"Audrey, you don't get to just decide where we are going to live!" Paul yelled. "You know it's your fault that things didn't work out before and it's going to be your fault again if you move back. You are the worst wife!"

Audrey sighed. She just wanted to go home. She was sick of Paul. He had been so comforting for the past few weeks that she had forgotten what he was really like. Always yelling at her and telling her that she wasn't good enough.

"I'm going to pack my things," she told him.

Audrey stood up from the table and walked towards the bedroom. As she did, Paul grabbed an empty glass from the table and threw it against the wall next to the bedroom door. Audrey jumped as it flew past her head and hit the wall next to her and shattered.

"What the hell, Paul?" Audrey asked, realizing how close he had come to actually hitting her.

Paul was furious at this point and walked across the room until he was right next to Audrey.

"You don't just get to leave whenever you want!" He yelled.

"Watch me!" Audrey argued. Audrey had never seen Paul quite so angry before. She decided it would be better to leave her things and go. She slipped past him and headed for the door. She grabbed her purse and reached for the doorknob. Paul slammed the door shut just as she cracked it open. He grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her away from the door.

"Let me go!" Audrey yelled. Paul listened by releasing her arm and throwing her to the ground. Audrey grimaced in pain as she landed hard on her right shoulder.

"Now, just listen to me," Paul said, still angry but trying to use a calm, rational voice. "We are happy right here. You can do your work here and you can go visit your dad and your friends whenever you want. But, this is our home now."

Audrey stood up, holding her shoulder which hurt badly. She didn't dare make a move for the door with Paul that close. She nodded at him in agreement. He kissed her and she kissed him back.

"Is your arm okay?" he asked. "Let me get you some ice."

"Okay," Audrey said. She watched him carefully as he went to the kitchen. She took a deep breath knowing that she would need to act fast. As soon as he was out of sight, she grabbed her purse and ran out the front door. She hopped into the car they had been renting and locked the doors. She saw Paul walking quickly out of the house and he slammed on the window of the car as she started it and drove away. She felt relieved as she drove away. She was lucky that he was still working on running again in physical therapy otherwise he definitely would have stopped her. Audrey drove with one hand on the wheel to the closest airport while she held her injured arm as still as possible. When she got to the airport she took the next flight to D.C. which was in only twenty minutes. She was happy to be heading home.

* * *

Jack was immersed in paperwork when Cassandra came into his office towards the end of the day.

"Hey, I'm leaving," she said, sadly.

Jack looked at the clock which said it was only four o'clock. "It's not time to go yet."

"No, I mean that today's my last day," Cassandra clarified. "I guess Audrey is coming back."

"Really?" he asked, not sure how he should feel about that. He had to admit it would be hard to work with her everyday knowing that he couldn't be with her.

"I guess so," she said. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I was thinking that since we won't be working together anymore maybe we could go out sometime."

Jack considered it for a moment. He did like Cassandra. And, with Audrey coming back he would need to get over her quickly. She was with Paul now and he didn't want to interfere.

"Okay," Jack agreed.

"Really?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yeah, how about dinner? Friday night?" Jack asked her. Cassandra happily agreed, excited that it was only two nights away. After she left, Jack started preparing himself to see Audrey tomorrow. Her coming back felt sudden. Then again, he wouldn't know since he had taken himself out of her life. For all he knew, her and Paul could have been planning to come back for weeks now. He sighed. He had no idea what to say to her tomorrow.

* * *

Audrey looked herself over in the mirror. She wore a black skirt with a light pink blouse. She checked to make sure that the bruises around her forearm and the larger bruise on the front of her shoulder couldn't be seen through her shirt. She was upset that it was her right shoulder that hurt, as it would be much harder to keep it still. She decided that everything was hidden and went off to work. As she pushed the call button for the elevator in the main lobby, Jack came up to her. She immediately remembered that Jack was consistent. He showed up to work at the same ungodly hour everyday just as she always did. Nothing had changed.

"Welcome back," Jack greeted.

"Thanks," Audrey said, stepping into the elevator with Jack. They were the only ones in the elevator, of course, since it was so early. After a few seconds of unbearable silence, Audrey spoke up.

"Think you could catch me up to speed this morning?" Audrey asked, trying to show Jack that as long as they focused on work there wouldn't be anything uncomfortable between them.

"Of course," Jack said. He started filling her in on the details of what they were going to be working on. They found themselves back in the swing of things. Work conversation flowed naturally between them as they grabbed their coffees and headed to Audrey's office to continue. Jack noticed that her body language seemed to be a little rigid but he ignored it since he figured she was just nervous about being back here with him. He knew that he was nervous being around her. By ten o'clock, Jack had managed to fill her in on everything.

Jack looked at his watch. "We have a meeting with Secretary Heller."

Audrey followed Jack down the hall to her father's office. As they walked in, Heller hugged his daughter, happy that she was finally back. Jack couldn't help but notice how Audrey winced in pain as Heller hugged her. Jack wondered if she was okay. He was about to ask but Heller started talking business and Audrey returned to normal so he let it go.

* * *

For lunch, Audrey met up with Olivia. She purposefully sat down at the table before Olivia could get up and hug her, remembering how painful it had been when her father hugged her earlier.

"Alright girlfriend. Time to tell me everything," Olivia said.

"Not much to tell," Audrey said. "Paul got shot. I went with him to help out. Jack broke up with me. Paul can walk again. I'm back."

"Oh, come on," Olivia said. "You've been gone for so long. I need details. I mean are you and Paul back together?"

Audrey shook her head no. "We were for a little while but not anymore."

"Why? What happened?" Olivia asked.

"Just the usual things," Audrey lied. "Mostly, he didn't want to move back here. But, he is still just the same jealous, stubborn, and rude guy that I left a year ago."

"So, it's finally over?" Olivia asked. "You're not going back to him even if he comes back here with flowers and romantic plans?"

"It's really over," Audrey said, rubbing her forearm with the bruises.

Olivia smiled, "So, now you can make up with Jack?"

Audrey rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

"Why not? Are you over him?" Olivia asked. "Because I think you two are so good together."

"Liv, he didn't want me. I think I just need some time alone," Audrey said.

"He did want you though," Olivia said. "He just didn't want you to want Paul."

"Like I said, I just need time to figure out what I want. I love Jack. But, maybe I jump into things too quickly."

Olivia shrugged. Audrey had a point. Maybe slowing down would be a good thing for her. She just hoped that Jack didn't move on by the time Audrey was ready.

 _A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Enjoy! Thanks to everyone still reading!_

After lunch, Audrey went to her office and remained focused on her work. Jack walked by Audrey's door on his way out and noticed that the light was still on. He wondered why she would still be here. Sure, she had missed work for so long that she probably had a lot to catch up on but Jack figured she would want to get home to Paul. He knocked and walked in.

"Hey," she said, looking up from her desk. "Did you need something?"

"No," Jack said. "Just thought you should know that there's a new rule about working past six."

Audrey laughed, "Are you joking?"

Jack shook his head. "Your dad told me a few weeks ago that I'm not allowed to stay late anymore."

Audrey looked confused for a moment. "Whatever. He didn't tell me. Besides I have too much to catch up on."

"Do you need any help?" Jack offered.

"I'm okay. Thanks though."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "I don't mind. I'm sure you want to get home."

Audrey considered it for a minute. If she didn't take Jack's help she would be there all night and would most likely fall asleep at her desk before finishing. Part of her wanted to be in Jack's company but the other part of her felt uncomfortable around him. But, she was really tired and could use the help.

"Actually that would be really helpful," Audrey caved. "But, only if you want to stay. You don't have to."

Jack took a seat across from her and they started to work. Audrey's cell phone rang a few times while they worked and Jack watched as Audrey would forward the calls to voicemail. The next time it happened, Jack was able to make out the caller ID. It was Paul.

"You can take that if you need to," Jack told her. "I can step out if you'd like."

"It's fine," Audrey muttered, again ignoring the call. This time she turned it completely off. Jack sensed that he shouldn't ask her about it. He wondered if they had had a fight or if Paul was just mad that she wasn't home yet. Either way it wasn't his business.

It was late when they finally got through the work Audrey wanted to finish. Jack grabbed Audrey's coat off of the coat rack in her office like he was used to doing. Usually he would help her into it but he realized his mistake.

"Sorry. Habit," he said, handing her the coat so she could put it on herself.

"It's okay," she replied, nervously. She went to put it on but realized that it would require her to move her shoulder in an unfavorable direction. Jack watched as she seemingly changed her mind about putting on the coat and carried it instead. They walked out of the building and to the parking garage.

"Thanks for your help tonight," Audrey said, knowing that it was time to part ways since they were parked on different sides.

"Anytime," Jack told her.

"Goodnight," she said, turning and walking towards her car. Jack reached out and gently pulled her arm back wanting to tell her that he would walk her to her car since it was late and he wanted her to be safe. But, as he grabbed her arm, Audrey screamed out in pain and pulled her arm away from him.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, suddenly worried about her shoulder which she was clutching.

"What the hell was that for?" Audrey asked, angrily. She was holding back tears from both pain and nervousness that Jack would realize what happened to her shoulder.

"Audrey, I barely touched you. What happened to your shoulder?"

"Nothing," Audrey said. Jack looked at her skeptically. "I just hurt it the other day. And, you just made it worse so thanks a lot."

Audrey turned away and went towards her car and Jack followed behind her.

"Audrey, that shouldn't have hurt. I barely pulled on your arm," Jack said, chasing after her. "I think you should go to a doctor."

Audrey spun around to face him. "And I think you shouldn't be touching me at all! Just stay away from me!"

Audrey got into her car and slammed the door closed. She drove home angrily. The last thing she wanted was for Jack to know that Paul had done this to her. She already felt pathetic about Jack leaving her and now she felt even more pathetic that she had let Paul hurt her.

When Audrey got home she listened to the messages on her phone from Paul. The first messages were extremely apologetic and he begged her to go back to Massachusetts. Then, she could tell that he was getting more and more frustrated about the fact that she wasn't answering. In the last message, Paul said that he realized he was wrong about D.C. and that he would be flying home on Friday night to fix things between them. Audrey sat in fear while listening. She didn't want him to come back. She didn't want him near her. She was thankful that he gave her a warning at least. She would make sure she was prepared for him.

* * *

The next day, Audrey showed up to work at the same time as Jack. Audrey noticed that Jack was nervous as they stepped into the elevator since he was rubbing his fingertips together.

"I'm sorry about last night," both Jack and Audrey said simultaneously.

"No, I should be sorry," Jack insisted. "You were right that I had no right to touch you."

"No, Jack, I was overreacting," Audrey said. "I was in pain and I took it out on you. Let's just forget about it. Okay?"

"Okay," Jack agreed, not being totally satisfied since he still wanted to know what happened to her.

They got to work and remained uninterrupted until lunch time. They split up to get their lunches and came back together to work while they ate. Audrey decided to steer away from work for a moment. She needed to know if he'd be home tonight.

"Are you going to the bar tonight?" Audrey asked Jack.

"No. I can't," Jack said, looking away since he didn't want to tell her that he had a date tonight.

"Why not?"

"I just don't feel like it tonight," Jack lied.

"Liar," Audrey said, calling him out. Audrey took a better look at him and realized that he had obviously taken extra time getting ready. He was obviously going on a date right after work. She felt her heart sink at the thought of him on a date with someone else.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, noticing the change in her expression.

"Yeah, just forget I asked," Audrey said. On the one hand she was sad that he had a date. On the other hand, she wanted Jack to be out of his apartment tonight.

When Audrey realized that Paul would be coming to D.C., she decided that she would need to protect herself in case Paul became aggressive again. She remembered that Jack had a gun in his apartment that he hadn't used in a while. She decided that there would be no way to ask Jack if she could borrow it without him asking why she needed it so she decided she would have to steal it. He wouldn't even notice it was gone since he never needed it here.

* * *

After work, Audrey made sure that Jack was heading to his date instead of back to his apartment. Audrey parked outside his apartment and fumbled around in her purse for the key that she knew she still had. She ran from her car to his door quickly since it was pouring rain. She was soaking wet by the time she got inside and tried to dry off a little so she wouldn't leave behind puddles that would tell Jack someone had been in there. As she walked from the door to the bedroom, she realized she was dripping water and would have to clean it up before leaving.

In the bedroom, Audrey searched by Jack's night stand and under the mattress. She finally found it secured to the underside of the bed frame. She grabbed the gun and the ammo and shoved it into her purse. Then she heard the front door rattle.

* * *

After work, Jack drove to the restaurant that he and Cassandra had decided on meeting at. When he got there he saw her waiting on a bench outside the restaurant. As he got out of the car, he realized he didn't have his wallet. He figured out that he hadn't had it on him all day and that it must be at his apartment which was only a short drive away.

"Hey," Cassandra said, as he approached her. "You look great!"

"You do too," Jack said, nervously. "I'm sorry but I actually realized that I forgot my wallet at home today. It's only a five minute drive, if you'd like to come with me."

Cassandra agreed, excited just to spend any time with Jack. They drove to his apartment and huddled under an umbrella as they moved from Jack's car to the apartment. Jack unlocked the door and immediately noticed that the floor was wet. Someone had been here or was still there. Jack took hold of the umbrella to use as a weapon.

"Wait here," he whispered to Cassandra. Jack followed the puddles to the bedroom and flipped on the light, to reveal Audrey standing in the room soaking wet.

"Audrey?" Jack exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Hearing that it wasn't someone dangerous, Cassandra followed Jack into the bedroom to see what was going on.

"I was-I just-" Audrey stammered. She felt sick seeing Cassandra behind him. Their date had been quick and he was taking her home. Audrey cleared her throat, trying to come up with a decent answer for why she was there.

"I thought you might have last week's reports here but I knew you had plans so I just didn't want to disrupt you," Audrey lied. She could tell that Jack didn't believe her. "But, you don't so I'm leaving. Sorry."

Audrey tried to walk past Jack and Cassandra, clutching her purse tightly. Jack noticed and stepped in Audrey's way, gently forcing her to show him what was in her purse.

"Sit," Jack said, angrily when he saw his gun lying in her purse. He turned to Cassandra and told her that he wouldn't be able to go on their date tonight.

"Should we reschedule?" she asked, as Jack walked her to the door and gave her money for a taxi to take her back to her car.

"I don't think so," Jack replied. "I'm sorry. I-"

"Love Audrey?" Cassandra asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because in the time I've known you, you always look most uncomfortable whenever someone brings her up. And she has a key to your apartment meaning that something is obviously going on between you two. I just don't get why you agreed to this date in the first place."

"It's complicated," Jack said. "I really do like you. But, I-"

"Love Audrey," Cassandra finished for him. Jack nodded. Jack helped her get a taxi and went back inside to deal with Audrey. He found Audrey sitting on the foot of his bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head buried into her knees. He could hear her crying.

"I'm sorry," she said, softly as she heard him come in. Jack had been ready to be cold with her. She had broken into his apartment and tried to steal his gun. But, as soon as he saw how upset she was he decided to back down. He sat down next to her on the bed.

"It's okay," Jack said, wanting to pull her into his arms but remembering that she didn't want him to touch her.

"No, it's not. I ruined your date."

"I don't care about the date. I care about you," Jack said. "Why were you trying to steal my gun?"

"Because you're the only person I know who has one," Audrey answered, trying to evade the question.

"You know what I mean," Jack said. They sat in silence for a minute as Jack waited for her to explain. But, she didn't. Jack reached over and Audrey didn't stop him as he gently pushed the top of her shirt over so he could see her shoulder. He saw a dark bruise.

"Audrey, did Paul do this to your shoulder?" Jack asked calmly, despite the intense rage building up inside him. Audrey nodded her head, refusing to look at Jack. Jack pulled her gently into his arms as she cried. She explained to him what happened and told him that she was worried about Paul coming sometime late that night or early in the morning.

"It's okay," he promised her. "You can stay here tonight. He's not coming anywhere near you."

"Are you sure?" Audrey asked.

"Of course," Jack said.

"I don't know if I should," Audrey said, pulling away from Jack's embrace.

"Why?"

"Because I'm just going to fall more in love with you," Audrey answered, avoiding Jack's eyes. "And, you don't even want me which is tearing me apart. Staying here will just make it harder."

"Audrey," Jack said, touching her chin and raising her head to look into her eyes. "I love you."

"But-" Audrey started, feeling confused.

"I thought I was doing what was best for you," Jack tried to explain.

"By breaking up with me and making me think it didn't even bother you?" Audrey asked, now getting slightly annoyed.

"I thought Paul could make you happier than I could," Jack told her. "All I want is for you to be happy."

"Did you think to ask me what I wanted? You decided on your own what you thought would make me happy."

"Well, not exactly alone," Jack muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Audrey asked. Audrey took Jack's hands into hers. She could tell that he was debating telling her something. "Jack, please tell me."

Jack sighed. "When I came to visit you, I stopped by Paul's room at the hospital to thank him again for saving me. He told me that he was never going to walk again. Audrey, I owed him. He needed you."

"He played you," Audrey scoffed. "Paul is completely fine now. And, he knew back then that he would be able to walk again. But, still, how could you think that using me as a form of payment was okay?"

"I didn't think of it like that, Audrey," Jack insisted. "It's not like I was forcing you to be with him after I left. If you didn't want to be with him, you didn't have to. That was your choice."

Audrey sighed. He was right. "You greatly overestimate how strong I can be. When you left, I was just terrified of being alone. Paul knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how to make me feel like I needed him."

"He tricked both of us," Jack admitted. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too," Audrey said.

Jack pulled Audrey into a kiss. They both felt instantly relaxed as their lips touched. They were finally where they were supposed to be. Jack tried to be careful of her arm as they laid down. They kissed passionately and Jack's hands roamed Audrey's body. Audrey used her good arm to start unbuttoning his shirt. Audrey put her hand on his chest and pushed him away just enough to break their kiss.

"Do you always go on a date with one girl and bring a different one to bed?" Audrey teased.

Jack smiled, knowing that although she was seemingly teasing him, she was actually concerned about the fact he had a date earlier. "We actually never made it on the date because I forgot my wallet. And, then I told her I wasn't interested."

"And why is that?" Audrey probed.

"Because I love you, Audrey," Jack said.

"I love you, too," Audrey replied, pulling Jack back into a kiss. They took their time undressing each other, partially because Audrey's arm was slowing them down and partially because they were savoring the moment. Jack used his tongue to explore every inch of her body and Audrey kissed her way along Jack's body until they couldn't wait any longer. They moved their bodies together effortlessly until they collapsed into each other's arms.

 _A/N: So I feel like I could end the story here since they are back together or keep going with some J/A fluff. If anyone has opinions on that let me know._


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and suggested I continue. I hope you enjoy!_

Jack gently tried to slide out of bed without waking Audrey. He smiled at the sight of her sleeping. He didn't know how it was possible for her to look so beautiful in the morning. He wanted to crawl back into bed to be there when she woke up but he had something to do. He threw on clothes and went over to Audrey's purse which was lying on the floor where they had left it last night. Jack took out the gun and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He grabbed his keys and drove over to Audrey's apartment. As Jack approached the door, he saw Paul banging on it.

"She's not there," Jack said, getting Paul's attention. Paul whipped around.

"Yeah, I'm sure she jumped into your bed the minute she got back," Paul accused. "You were supposed to back the hell off."

"That was before I realized that you're a lying son of a bitch," Jack spat. "How dare you hurt her?"

"That was an accident," Paul said. "I wasn't trying to hurt her. Now, I need to go talk to my wife."

Paul tried to move past Jack to the stairs behind him but Jack grabbed Paul's throat and shoved him against the wall.

"You aren't going anywhere near her!" Jack yelled.

"She's my wife! I am the only guy who should be anywhere near her," Paul choked. Jack tightened his grip around Paul's neck and took the gun from his jeans. He pointed it at Paul's temple.

"You will stay away from her. You'll sign the divorce papers and never come near us again. Or I will kill you," Jack threatened. Paul could barely breathe and felt like he was about to pass out. "Are we clear?"

Paul nodded, unable to speak. Jack released him and started to walk away.

"Whatever. She's fucking me one night and you a few days later. She's just a whore." Paul said. Jack turned around suddenly, and connected his fist to Paul's chin. Paul fell to the ground and Jack wound up to hit him again but hesitated. He knew that he could kill Paul if he went too far. He took one more swing, hitting Paul in the eye. Jack walked out of the building. He just wanted to go home to Audrey.

* * *

"Where did you go?" Audrey asked worriedly, as Jack came through the door. She watched as he pulled the gun from his jeans and put it on the table by the door. "Jack?"

"I went to talk to Paul," Jack told her.

"Talk?" Audrey asked, looking at the gun.

"I told him that he needs to stay away from you," Jack explained. He decided to omit the part where he choked Paul and punched him. The last time he was violent with Paul she had been disappointed in him.

"You think he'll listen?" Audrey asked. Jack shrugged in response. Jack took a look at Audrey's shoulder which was looking better than it did yesterday.

"How'd you sleep last night?" Jack asked, holding her close.

"Great," Audrey said. "Until I woke up all alone."

"I'm sure you weren't that upset about it," Jack teased. "You love having all the covers to yourself."

"Very true," Audrey said, melting into his embrace. "But, I like waking up next to you even more."

Audrey kissed Jack, who ran his hand through her hair. Audrey's hands made their way under his shirt and touched his stomach and chest. But, Jack's mind was elsewhere. He thought back to Paul saying that she had been sleeping with him only a few days earlier. Of course, Jack knew that was most likely the case. Audrey had been honest about the fact that she had started a relationship with Paul again. But, it still bothered him to think of Audrey kissing Paul the way she was kissing him right now. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Audrey pulled back from their kiss.

"Is everything okay?" Audrey asked.

"Fine," Jack lied.

"Are you sure?" Audrey looked at him, nervously wondering why he had suddenly seemed so uninterested in their kiss. "Please. Tell me what you're thinking."

Jack stared into her eyes and immediately regretted it. He couldn't deny her. "I was thinking about the fact that you and Paul were together not so long ago. It's just hard for me to think of you with him. Especially knowing how terribly he treats you."

"Then don't think about it," Audrey suggested. "Look, I'm really sorry that I went back to him. But, I can't change that now."

"I know. I'll get over it," Jack said. "I'm not trying to pressure you but are you going to file for divorce soon?"

Audrey cringed, guiltily. "D.C. has a separation policy before you can file for divorce. But, I think that period might have to be restarted now because we got back together."

"Oh," Jack said.

"I'm sorry," Audrey apologized. "If I could do it right now, I would."

"I know," Jack said, pulling her close. "I'm sorry too."

"What for?"

"It's my fault that you went back to him."

"No, Jack. Don't blame yourself," Audrey insisted. "I love you."

Jack smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

Audrey was walking into work on Monday when she saw Paul sitting on a bench outside the building.

"Hey," Paul said, noticing Audrey's hesitation to walk any closer to the door. "Audrey, we should really talk. Please."

She walked towards him feeling comforted by the fact that it was a pretty busy street. As she did she noticed that half of his face was bruised.

"What happened to you?" she asked, not feeling the least bit sympathetic.

"Your boyfriend nearly killed me. Choked me and held his gun to my head and then punched me." Paul told her. "Look, I know I hurt you. I'm so sorry. It was an accident. But, Jack is purposefully violent. You shouldn't feel safe around him."

"I don't know," Audrey said. "Seems to me like you deserved it."

"Audrey, please. I'm sorry," Paul begged. "It will never happen again."

"Paul, I want a divorce," Audrey told him.

"If you really did, you'd have already sent papers," Paul said. "I think you still want this to work."

Audrey shook her head. "We need to separate again before I can."

"If you think I'm going to agree to a voluntary separation again, you're insane," Paul said. Audrey sighed. Voluntary separation meant only a six month wait while a one-sided separation meant a year long wait before filing for divorce.

"Please," Audrey begged. "Eventually you're going to have to give me a divorce. Nothing you do is going to change my mind. Why put it off longer?"

"Because, I can change," Paul insisted. "You'll see."

Paul walked away leaving Audrey feeling frustrated. Audrey went into work and sat down across from Jack in his office.

"Hey," Jack greeted. "You look frustrated."

"I just saw Paul," Audrey told him.

"Where?" Jack asked, ready to move into action.

"He's gone now. Don't worry. You don't have to choke him or take out your gun or punch him in the face," Audrey teased.

"I was just trying to scare him off," Jack tried to explain. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad that you did that. He deserved it," Audrey said. "I'm mad because you told me that you just went to talk to him. Why?"

"Last time I hurt him, you were angry with me. I didn't want you to look at me that way again," Jack admitted.

"Look at you in what way?"

"Like I'm a monster."

Audrey walked around his desk to stand next to him and put her hand on his cheek. She leaned down and kissed him quickly.

"I overreacted that day. You were doing what you needed to do to protect the country. I'm sorry. I promise I don't think you're a monster."

Jack grabbed her hand telling her that he forgave her. They heard a knock on the door and quickly put more distance between them as Heller walked in.

"Busy?" Heller asked, noticing that they seemed closer together than they had been last week.

"No," Jack and Audrey said simultaneously. They spent the day preparing for a trip to Seattle that they were leaving for tomorrow. Heller took notice of how well they worked together. Nothing had changed there. But, he wondered how he hadn't noticed their relationship before. They did a pretty good job of hiding it but he could now see the flirtatious smiles and glances that Jack and his daughter shared.

The next day, the three of them were on Heller's private jet. They had finished preparing for the trip yesterday so they decided to just relax on the flight over. Jack and Audrey sat across from Heller. Despite flying frequently, Audrey was always a nervous flyer. She hated takeoffs and turbulence. Audrey shifted towards the armrest between her and Jack. Jack moved closer too so that his shoulder was touching hers in an attempt to comfort her without being too obvious.

As the plane moved onto the runway, Audrey slowly inched her hand closer and closer to his. Jack grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. He glanced at Heller expecting him to look upset but instead saw what seemed to be a look of approval. Once the plane was situated in the air, Audrey loosened the grip she had on Jack's hand.

"Do you ever think you'll get over your fear of flying?" Heller asked his daughter. "It was one bad flight over thirty years ago."

"Yeah, but it was my first flight and it was terrifying," Audrey said.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"We had just bought a beach house near L.A. and were flying there for the first time. There was some turbulence," Heller told him.

"That was not _some_ turbulence," Audrey argued. "The plane kept dropping and shaking. We went right through a storm."

"She's exaggerating," Heller told him.

Jack looked at Audrey who shook her head in protest. "It was like a ride at an amusement park."

"Carousel or Ferris wheel?" Jack teased. Heller laughed.

"Like a roller coaster," Audrey corrected.

"Yeah, but you've never been on a roller coaster so how can you compare?" Heller asked.

"You've never been on a roller coaster? Ever?" Jack asked.

"She's always been afraid of them," Heller said, remembering back even to when she was five and refused to go on even the smallest roller coaster.

"You know, not everyone likes feeling like they're about to die," Audrey joked.

The three of them continued to talk and joke for the rest of the flight. They had often had relaxed, non-work related conversations in the past. But, this was the first time Heller felt like he was having a conversation with his daughter and her boyfriend. Heller loved how happy Audrey looked and was happy that they were feeling more comfortable being a couple around him. They would make references to the fact that they spent time together outside of work which they had never done before. The dynamic between the three of them was definitely moving to new heights. Heller was surprised by how much he liked the fact that Jack and Audrey were together.

* * *

"That was nice," Audrey said, as she and Jack settled into their hotel room. "Not having to hide from my dad."

"Almost like we should have told him from the beginning," Jack smiled and winked at her.

"Okay," Audrey admitted, wrapping her arms around him. "Maybe just this once, you were right."

She kissed him passionately and started to push his jacket off his shoulders. Jack stopped her and pulled away.

"Later," he whispered into her ear, making her shiver. He kissed the side of her neck. "I made dinner plans for us."

Audrey smiled. They held hands as they walked through the hotel and down the street to a restaurant that Jack had picked out. Jack held the door to the restaurant open for her and placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked through. It was exactly the kind of place for them. It was comfortable and not too fancy. They looked through the menu and waited for the waitress to take their order.

"Let me guess," Jack said, knowing that he could guess what she was going to order. "Chicken francaise."

"You don't know that," Audrey countered, playfully. "I can be unpredictable."

"Every time a restaurant has it, that's what you get," Jack told her. "I actually know you pretty well."

Audrey smiled, "You do."

The waitress came over and took their orders. Audrey ordered the chicken and Jack ordered a steak.

"So what other things do you know about me just from your observations?" Audrey asked.

"Let's see," Jack thought. "You start getting excited for Christmas in August which I know because you start humming Christmas carols. You hate baseball but you watch it with me anyway. You are really particular about the way your clothes are folded. You snore when you sleep on your stomach."

"No I don't!" Audrey argued.

"You wouldn't know because you're sleeping," Jack told her.

"Sorry," she said, hoping that it didn't bother him too much.

"It's cute," Jack said, making Audrey blush. Their food came and they dug in.

"Are you going to L.A. next week?" Audrey asked him.

"No. Why would I be?" Jack asked, confused by her question.

"Thanksgiving," Audrey reminded him. "Are you going to Kim's?"

"I'm going to her place for Christmas this year," Jack said.

"Well, I was thinking you could come with me to Thanksgiving dinner this year," Audrey suggested. "I'm cooking at my dad's house."

"I'd like that," Jack agreed, which made Audrey light up.

They finished their meals and left the restaurant. They stepped outside and saw that it was pouring outside.

"Ugh. I forgot how much I hate Seattle," Audrey said, referring to the fact it always rains.

"Here," Jack said, taking off his coat and putting it over her shoulders since it was cold out. They ran out into the rain back to the hotel and were soaked by the time they got there.

"Brr," Audrey said, as she walked into their room. "It's so cold."

"I can help with that," Jack said, closing the door behind them and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her and started taking his wet jacket off of her and taking off her jacket underneath.

"I don't think taking off clothes will help me be any warmer," Audrey teased. With that, Jack picked her up and walked her into the bathroom. He turned the hot water on in the shower and they got inside the shower. They made love against the shower wall while the hot water fell between them.

"Remember when I said I hate Seattle," Audrey said, as they got out of the shower and dried off.

"Yeah, like half an hour ago."

"I think Seattle might be one of my favorites now," Audrey said, looking into Jack's eyes.

"Me too," Jack agreed.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: This is just a short one but it seemed like the right place to end the chapter._

"What are you doing?" Audrey asked, looking up from the mirror at Jack who was wearing tying his tie.

"What?" Jack asked.

"We are going to Thanksgiving dinner with my family," Audrey said, walking over to him and taking the tie away. "You don't have to wear a suit. Just dress casually."

"I feel like your family is far from casual," Jack said. Jack knew that Audrey came from money. Based on his experiences with his own family growing up, he was expecting them to be incredibly formal at all times.

"You'll see," Audrey told him. "They're a lot more laid back than you'd expect. Trust me, my dad will be in jeans and football sweatshirt."

Jack smiled. It was hard to picture as he had only seen him in suits before. Jack didn't want to be under-dressed or overdressed to spend time with her family. He took a moment to look over Audrey. She was wearing a gray sweater dress and short black boots. She was wearing jewelry that perfectly complemented her outfit. She had straightened her hair which fell across her shoulders.

"What about you? You look amazing," Jack said, taking her into his arms. "Definitely not casual."

Audrey smiled. "Ah, you caught me. I tell everyone else to dress down so that I look the best in pictures."

"You would look the best no matter what you wore," Jack told her. He kissed her.

"Come on," she said. "We need to get going so I can get the turkey in the oven at my dad's."

Jack changed into jeans and a button-up shirt. Then, Jack drove them over to her father's house. Audrey led him through the front door.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Heller said, as Jack and Audrey walked in. He hugged Audrey and shook Jack's hand. Jack was happy to see that Audrey was right. Heller was wearing a Giants sweatshirt. Audrey headed to the kitchen and got to work on making dinner.

"Do you need any help?" Jack offered, despite the fact that Audrey looked quite comfortable in the kitchen.

"No, I'm good," Audrey said, barely looking up from what she was doing.

"It's no use offering to help her," Heller told Jack. "She likes doing it alone and once she is in the zone it's like we don't even exist."

"I heard that," Audrey countered.

Heller took Jack out of the kitchen and showed him around the house. Jack enjoyed seeing the numerous family pictures around the house from when Audrey was a kid. After the tour, Heller recruited Jack to help him set up some tables and chairs for when the rest of Audrey's family would arrive for dinner.

As the family started to arrive, Audrey took a break from the kitchen to greet them and introduce them to Jack. Jack found her family to be very relaxed. She had quite a few aunts, uncles, and cousins. Despite being relaxed, they did start grilling Jack for more information about himself. Audrey tried her hardest to have her family ease up on him, knowing that Jack was a private person, but they persisted. They asked about his old job, about living in Los Angeles, and about his reasons for moving to D.C. Jack answered their questions honestly, but left out the particularly horrifying details.

"Alright, everyone," Audrey said, rubbing Jack's arm. "It's just about time to eat."

* * *

Outside Heller's house, Paul paced back and forth across the street. He had planned to show up for Thanksgiving dinner just like he used to. Once Audrey's extended family showed up, he knew that Audrey would not kick him out. Her family liked him and would tell her to let him stay. But, as they opened the door for the first of Audrey's family, Paul saw that Jack was already there.

Paul couldn't believe that Audrey had brought that man to dinner. Jack was violent and showed no remorse. Paul figured that Audrey just felt trapped. She was probably scared to leave him. He knew he had to help her. He got into his car and drove away. He had to run an errand but he would be back.

* * *

Audrey asked Jack for help with carving the turkey and had everyone else take the sides to the table and sit.

"Sorry about that," Audrey said, as Jack carved.

"Don't apologize," Jack told her. "I want to get to know your family. If that means I have to share some information about my life with them, I'll do it."

"They just want to make sure you're good enough for me," Audrey said.

"Well, somehow I'll have to trick them," Jack joked. Audrey kissed him, trying to tell him that he was more than good enough for her. He was perfect for her. They brought the turkey out to the table.

"Audrey, everything came out amazing," one of Audrey's uncles commented, after they started eating. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Conversation flowed again as everyone began talking about what they had been up to recently. Eventually though, attention was turned back on to Jack and Audrey.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Audrey's cousin, Lisa, asked. Audrey and Jack looked at each other, neither of them knowing exactly how to answer that. They had been together for about six months when they broke up and then gotten back together a couple months later.

"We started dating last March," Audrey said, not wanting to delve deeper into the last two months of confusion between them.

"When's the wedding?" Audrey's cousin, Claire, chimed in.

"She's already married," Audrey's Aunt Patti replied. "Are you and Paul ever going to actually get divorced?"

"Eventually, yes," Audrey answered.

"I'll believe it when I see it," her aunt muttered. Audrey sighed and squeezed Jack's hand under the table.

"Will you two get married once the divorce goes through?" Claire asked, excitedly.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Calm down. We aren't there yet."

Audrey decided to change the subject and did so successfully by bringing up Claire's recent acceptance to graduate school. Audrey and Jack smiled at each other as everyone else listened to Claire explaining the program she was going into. They were both happy that the spotlight was off of them again.

Jack spent the rest of dinner thinking about what Audrey had said about marriage. That they weren't there yet. But, Jack was starting to think that maybe he was there. Maybe he wasn't fully ready yet, but he could see himself marrying her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. If she wasn't married, he would be seriously considering asking her to marry him. It scared him to think that he could be so ready to commit to her after a seemingly short amount of time but he knew that she was the one. It was the same feeling he had about Teri before he had proposed to her. He could hardly compare his love for Teri to his love for Audrey, as he loved them both for very different reasons and in very different ways, but the feelings he was having towards marriage were exactly the same.

After the rest of Audrey's family left, Audrey and Jack helped Heller clean up. They said their goodbyes and Heller told Jack that he was glad that he was able to come to dinner. Jack and Audrey walked out to where they had parked their car and Jack reached for Audrey's door until she stopped him.

"Thank you for coming," Audrey said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

Jack smiled and stared into Audrey's beautiful green eyes. "Audrey, you should know, I am there."

"What?" Audrey asked.

"You said we weren't there yet about getting married," Jack reminded her. "But, I am ready to marry you. I know we can't. And, maybe you're not there yet and that's okay. I just thought you should know."

Audrey smiled. "I'm ready too. I love you."

Audrey kissed Jack passionately.

* * *

Paul had seen Jack and Audrey walking out of Heller's house hand-in-hand. He looked over at the gun sitting on the passenger's seat and took it into his hand. He had to protect his wife. He got out of the car quietly while they were on the opposite side of the car. His hand shook slightly as he gripped the gun, waiting for Jack to come around. He listened closely realizing that he could hear them talking. Paul's heart broke as he heard Audrey tell Jack that she would marry him if she could. He could no longer deny the fact that he was doing this out of jealousy, not as an attempt to protect Audrey. He was pissed. Not only at Jack but also at Audrey.

* * *

Jack opened up her door and helped her into the car. He closed her door and walked to his side, happy that she was feeling the same way he was. As he reached for his door handle, he noticed that someone was standing next to the car parked in front of them. He had just barely been able to identify the person as Paul before a gunshot went off. Jack immediately grabbed his abdomen in agony as he fell to the ground. He heard Audrey scream as she opened her door and tried to run to him. Jack tried to yell to her to tell her to stay in the car but no words came out. Just as Jack was about to pass out, he heard another gunshot.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I know. I suck at updating. I'm sorry. But I hope you enjoy!_

Audrey had just settled into the car when she heard the gunshot and watched Jack fall to the ground from the window. She screamed Jack's name and instantly got out of the car to help him, not thinking about the fact that the shooter might not have fled the scene instantly. She rushed around the car and fell onto her knees in front of Jack. Jack looked like he was about to lose consciousness. She looked up for the first time seeing Paul holding a gun. She didn't even have time to process what was happening before Paul pulled the trigger sending a bullet that hit her arm. She screamed in pain and clutched her arm. She quickly recognized that despite the pain and blood, she was just fine. The bullet had grazed her.

"This is all your fault," Paul yelled at her. "He doesn't deserve you."

Paul raised the gun again and pointed it at Jack again. One more shot and he could be sure that Jack could never touch his wife again. Audrey was crying. She could see it in Paul's eyes that he would shoot again.

"Paul, please," Audrey begged. She was willing to say anything to stop him. "I won't. I won't be with him. I promise."

"I just heard you tell him that you love him," Paul reminded her.

"I had to say that," Audrey insisted. "But, I love you."

Audrey stood up and walked cautiously over to Paul. Audrey attempted to gain her composure. She couldn't convince Paul that she loved him if she was crying over Jack. She placed her hand on his hand that still held the gun tightly.

"Paul, I love you," Audrey lied.

"You'll come with me," Paul asked.

"Yes," Audrey said. It was working. Paul was lowering the gun.

"Let's go," he said, taking her hand and bringing her to his car. She could hear the sirens in the distance which she knew must be coming here. But, Paul wouldn't wait any longer. She got in the car and Paul drove away from the scene.

* * *

Heller sat in the waiting room of the hospital. Audrey was missing and the police were doing everything they could think of to find her. Heller remembered hearing two gunshots from his house. But, the doctors were sure that Jack had only been shot once which meant that wherever Audrey was, she could be hurt. Heller cursed under his breath. The last time Audrey had been kidnapped it had been because of his position as the Secretary of Defense. He gripped his phone tightly, wondering when the person who had shot Jack and taken his daughter would call with demands. At least then he would have some information.

He was also worried about Jack. Jack had looked lifeless at the scene. The doctors had told him that Jack was not in good shape. The bullet had ripped through his stomach and had lodged itself somewhere within the abdominal cavity. He was bleeding internally and the doctors were performing an exploratory surgery to repair any bleeding and find the bullet. He hadn't been updated in hours and was worried.

* * *

"Where are we?" Audrey asked, as Paul parked the car.

"Well, we will have to lie low for a little while," Paul told her, as he got out of the car and came around to her side of the door to help her out. He took hold of the towel that she was holding against her arm. "Let me take a look."

Paul looked at the wound on her arm and saw that it was still bleeding. He opened the back of the car. Audrey looked around and saw they had pulled over in an alley. She thought of running but knew that Paul was faster than her. Not to mention he had a gun on him. Paul came back to her side with a first aid kit and wrapped her arm in bandages.

"You know I didn't mean to hurt you," Paul said. "Right?"

Audrey gulped. "I know."

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she said.

"You're not scared. Right?"

Audrey shook her head. "Of course not."

"Good. I'm going to protect you. I promise," he said. "We are going to take a cab. Okay?"

Paul held her hand and walked her to the main street. He checked to make sure there were no cops around and called a cab quickly.

"Where to?" the driver asked. Paul gave him an address that Audrey didn't recognize. They arrived outside at a warehouse in Virginia.

"Where are we?" Audrey asked.

"It's just a building that my company owns," Paul told her. "We aren't staying here. I just wanted to get us out of the DC until I come up with a plan."

Paul looked around and saw a sign for a motel down the road. "Come on. That's where we'll go for now."

They walked to the motel and Paul got them a room.

* * *

Heller sat in the waiting room feeling agitated. The police had found a video from a street camera that showed Audrey and Paul getting into a taxi. The detective mentioned that they were contacting the taxi service to determine where they had gone. Heller was having a hard time believing that Paul had shot Jack. Sure, Paul sometimes gets irritated easily but, as far as he knew, Paul had never been violent. But with Audrey switching back and forth between Paul and Jack and with Paul taking a bullet for Jack months ago, maybe Paul had just had enough of Jack Bauer. Heller shook his head. If Paul hurt his daughter, Heller was going to be furious.

"Mr. Secretary," one of the doctors said, approaching him carefully. "I have an update on Mr. Bauer."

"How is he?"

"We finished the surgery. We found the bullet and removed it to prevent further damage to his organs. We repaired holes in his stomach and large intestine. He is no longer bleeding internally. But, when organs such as the stomach or intestines are punctured they release their contents into the abdominal cavity. The bacteria from that has given him an infection. He is in the ICU and we are giving him antibiotics for the infection."

"Is he awake?" Heller asked.

"Not yet," the doctor told him. "But you can see him if you'd like."

Heller thanked the doctor and headed to Jack's room. While he waited he called the office and had them give him Jack's daughter's phone number. Heller called her.

"Hello?" Kim answered.

"Hi. Is this Kim?" he asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"This is James Heller."

Kim froze. If the Secretary of Defense was calling her, that could only mean something happened to her dad. "Oh God. What happened? Is my dad okay?"

"Your dad is okay. But, he is in the hospital."

"What happened?"

"He was shot in the stomach," Heller told her. "He is stable right now but the doctor says the infection is pretty bad."

"Oh my God. Who did this?"

"It looks like it was Audrey's husband," Heller said. He wasn't sure whether or not Kim knew of their relationship but figured that it was likely that she did.

"Is Audrey okay?" Kim asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Her husband took her with him. The police are looking for them."

Kim sighed. "I'll be on the next flight."

* * *

Audrey sat down in a chair as they entered the motel room. Paul was pacing as he considered his options. She hoped that he would keep thinking until someone was able to find them. She desperately wanted to cry but knew that she had to keep pretending. But, she couldn't stop thinking of Jack lying on the ground covered in blood. She prayed that he was okay. Audrey was torn away from her thoughts as Paul flipped on the news. Both of their faces were shown on the screen.

"They are saying I kidnapped you," Paul said, angrily.

"Maybe we should go back," Audrey suggested.

"I knew it," Paul said, walking over to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. His fingers pressed into her bandaged wound. "You don't want to be with me."

"Of course I do," Audrey said, trying to stay calm. "We can tell them that shooting him was self-defense. And that you didn't kidnap me. That I chose to come."

Paul looked into her eyes. She was lying. She didn't love him and would have the police arrest him.

"You expect me to believe that?" Paul asked. "You expect me to believe that you love me?"

"Yes," Audrey said. She could tell that Paul wasn't buying it. "I do, Paul. I love you."

"Prove it," Paul said, gently stroking her cheek and leaning in for a kiss.

As their lips touched, Audrey fought back the urge to vomit. She was kissing the man who possibly killed the man she loves. She kissed him back, trying to convince him that she loved him. She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back, remembering that he had tucked the gun in his waistband of the back of his pants. She reached for the gun and Paul backed away. Audrey didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.


End file.
